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What is described as the “world’s first” offshore solar farm integrated within a wind farm has completed assembly at the Port of Amsterdam and is ready for deployment at the Hollandse Kust Noord (HKN) offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
Dutch company Oceans of Energy assembled the floating solar farm in three days. The system will be towed 18.5 kilometres offshore this summer to be installed at the HKN site, operated by CrossWind, a joint venture (JV) between Shell and Eneco.
According to Oceans of Energy, the project uses prefabricated floating solar units designed for offshore conditions and is seen as a step toward scaling hybrid wind-solar developments.
A ceremony to mark the assembly completion and name the platform “Nymphaea Aurora” was recently held at the Port of Amsterdam.
“The innovation program of the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm paves the way for key technologies that may further enhance offshore wind projects,” said Maria Kalogera , Innovations Manager, CrossWind.
“The offshore solar scope is an exciting innovation that can contribute to more renewable energy production from the same site.”
Nymphaea Aurora, named after a native European water lily, floats at water level – a design that Oceans of Energy says allows large-scale deployment with minimal material use.
“The Oceans of Energy offshore solar farm floats in the sea at water level, like a waterlily, therefore we have named it ‘Nymphaea Aurora’,” said Allard van Hoeken , Founder & CEO, Oceans of Energy.