An EU joint industry project, bringing together 16 partners, has been launched with the aim of scaling up the standard format of offshore solar to 150 MW and enable the development of GW-scale renewable energy farms.
The project, dubbed BAMBOO (Build Scalable Modular Bamboo-Inspired Offshore Solar Systems), aims to resolve remaining challenges for the rollout of large scale offshore solar into new and existing wind farms.
This includes proving the robustness and performance of the solar panels in offshore conditions, as well as researching the impact on the environment while securing sustainability in the whole value-chain of this emerging industry.
The project is coordinated by RINA, and involves collaboration between offshore solar developer Oceans of Energy, four technology developers (Solarge, TKF, Pauwels Transformers, SolarCleano), five technical- and environmental consultancies (RINA, ABS, Aquatera Ltd, Aquatera Atlantico, and WavEC), three testing laboratories (MARIN, Fraunhofer CSP, SIRRIS), the marine science-policy think-tank European Marine Board, and the offshore wind farm developer Vattenfall as potential client for implementation.
The expected result for project BAMBOO is to help mature the technologies, therefore enabling the funds for the first of a kind 100-200 MW offshore solar farm at a Vattenfall offshore wind farm before the turn of the decade.
At which wind farm development this will take place still has to be decided, the partners said.
The project will also aim to contribute to the development of international standards and testing methodologies for offshore solar technology.
Further research will be conducted on predicting and improving the lifetime energy performance. There will also be a focus on measuring and predicting the environmental impact of the technology, including through methods for contributing to nature enhancements and for end-of-life strategies.
Furthermore, the activities aim towards internationally aligned policies including for environmental assessment criteria frameworks.
“Oceans of Energy is proud to advance offshore solar further towards a real gamechanger in the renewable energy transition, by bringing these standardized, large scale offshore solar farms to the world.
“Offshore solar is becoming a major contributor to the energy transition in the North Sea. We are kickstarting the development of a standardized offshore solar building block, which fits right in-between four offshore wind turbines. This allows for optimized multi-source offshore energy farms without competing for scarce and limited land space,” said Allard van Hoeken, Founder and CEO of Oceans of Energy.
“This project will contribute to enable feasible business cases of solar renewable energy offshore. RINA, thanks to the leading experience in the provision of energy yield assessment services for solar plants and in floating offshore systems, will pioneer the development of a new predictive yield model applicable to this emerging technology.
“We will bring to the project our competence in ground-native solutions offshore, in static and dynamic analysis on dynamic export cables, in comparative analysis between different power export layouts, in the definition of recycling strategies for PVs and electrical components at the end of their life, and in the coordination of EU-funded projects,” added Andrea Bombardi, Carbon Reduction Excellence Executive Vice President of RINA.