The BOOST consortium, coordinated by Ocean Sun and with the partners Innosea, PLOCAN, The Institute of Technology of the Canary Islands (ITC) and Fred Olsen Renewables have successfully completed a three-year-long R&D project focused on Bringing Offshore Ocean Sun to the global market. During the project, the partners have researched, designed, tested, and validated a solution for an ocean-based floating solar.
The first phase focused on performing computer simulations and conducting two iterations of basin laboratory tests at Sintef Ocean in Trondheim (Norway). The main purpose of the test was to confirm the mooring forces, green sea issues, friction coefficients between membrane and water and assess general system behaviour in the rough conditions expected at site. Based on the findings from the tests, Innosea and Ocean Sun could calibrate and update digital models to simulate system performance. In the second and final phase, a full-scale demonstrator comprising 250 kWp was constructed at the island of La Palma. The demonstrator was officially inaugurated in a ceremony in December 2023, attended by guests from both local authorities at La Palma as well as Nieves Lady Barreto, Vice President of the Government of the Canary Islands attended the opening. To achieve the best possible learnings from the full-scale demonstrator, Ocean Sun and Fred. Olsen Renewables have worked together to develop and integrate an instrumentation and data management system that monitor all critical parts as well as operational criteria like wave, current, wind and solar production.
In parallel with the technical work carried out to design and demonstrate the technology, the partners have worked with the full business case required to realize floating offshore solar in utility scale. Plocan has studied the environmental impact of the FPV system by deploying sensor and taking measurement pre and post installation in La Palma. Ocean Sun and Fred Olsen have worked diligently to prepare business scale up plans from a supply and power production perspective respectively. This has included activities such as mapping key target markets and collaboration partners for utility scale project, assessing local regulations and barriers to entry, establishing a supply chain for component delivery, tested by sourcing components for the full-scale demonstrator and validating the partners respective business model offering. Together, the partners have also developed operational procedures and mapped critical risk elements associated with floating offshore solar.
Furthermore, ITC has worked on mapping the potential for floating solar in Gran Canaria and to assess challenges and success criteria to integrate floating solar in an isolated island grid.
Throughout the project, the partners have maintained a good working relationship and collaborated on a regular basis. Results from the project have been disseminated via the partners online channels, in newspapers and through participation in various trade exhibitions and conferences.
