Descripción del proyecto
Recolección de energía solar en mitad del mar
La energía solar fotovoltaica (FV) es una tecnología clave para favorecer la descarbonización del pujante sector energético. La escasez de tierras, sobre todo en áreas densamente pobladas y con gran demanda de energía, supone un reto capital para el desarrollo FV en tierra firme. Las superficies oceánicas representan vastas áreas, a menudo cerca de los centros de demanda (como las grandes ciudades) y, por lo tanto, tienen un gran potencial para la generación de energía fotovoltaica flotante (FVF). Los sistemas FVF costeros o en alta mar aún están en etapa de desarrollo debido a los retos adicionales que suponen las condiciones más exigentes del mar. El proyecto BOOST, financiado con fondos europeos, abordará estos retos con un sistema inspirado en parte en la tecnología de flotación y amarre de la piscicultura, que se ha utilizado durante veinte años en las aguas turbulentas de Noruega, en combinación con una membrana hidroelástica flotante patentada e innovadora.
Objetivo
Solar photovoltaic (PV) has become the world’s fastest-growing energy technology, with an annual global market surpassing for the first time in 2018 the 100 Gigawatt (GW) level and cumulative capacity of 583.5 GW in 2019. However, in order to produce large amounts of energy and to avoid increased energy transmission costs, solar power plants must be located close to the demand centres. Yet, it is a problem to require vast surfaces of land near densely populated areas where the power is consumed. This is specially a problem in Europe, which by far has the smallest average size of a solar PV plant in the world.
Floating PV (FPV) plants have opened up new opportunities for facing these land restrictions. Nevertheless, this market is currently concentrated in reservoirs and lakes. Offshore and near-shore FPV systems are still in a nascent stage due to additional challenges faced by non-sheltered sea conditions: waves and winds are stronger, implying that mooring, anchoring and dynamic load capacity becomes even more critical due to the increased frequency of high wave- and wind-loads.
The BOOST will address these challenges with a new FPV system partly inspired by the floating and mooring technology that has been used over 20 years in rough Norwegian waters by the fish farming industry, combined with a disruptive and patented floating hydro-elastic membrane (<1mm thickness). The hydro-elastic membrane is attached to an outer perimeter of buoyant tubing so that the floater is not dragged under by the mooring, even in strong currents, winds and waves, similar to the effect of oil on troubled water. The validation of this technology in non-sheltered sea waters lead consortium expects to reach an installed capacity of 1,750 MW for the 5 years (6.2% of the SAM), contributing to avoid CO2 emission of 4,120 kt (but each PV plant will last for at least 25 years, so the long-term impact is 5 times larger). It will generate to the consortium accumulated profits above €94m.
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IA - Innovation actionCoordinador
1360 Fornebu
Noruega
Organización definida por ella misma como pequeña y mediana empresa (pyme) en el momento de la firma del acuerdo de subvención.