Researching integration of floating solar with offshore wind farms in an ecologically sustainable way
New project on the combination of wind and solar power in the Belgian Marine Zone
The consortium of SWiM aims to research the boundary conditions for safe and effective deployment of offshore photovoltaics in multi-use areas, particularly wind farms in the Belgian marine zone. The work in the project is grouped into six work packages
Our partners
The project brings together six partners from research, policy and industry.
The project will be guided by an Advisory Board with ten members from industry active in the marine space and renewable energies.
KU Leuven – EnergyVille
On top of existing broad know-how in marine structural design, KU Leuven/EnergyVille has gained significant expertise in OFPV over the past two years, not least through the MarineSPOTS ETF project. The electrical backbone of renewable energy systems, both in terms of power electronic converters and power system integration, forms part of their background, as do grid design and market aspects.
Engie Laborelec
Laborelec has broad expertise in renewables and electrical systems and infrastructure, including offshore wind, solar energy, energy storage, power conversion systems and electric cable testing. The Laborelec renewables team has been conducting internal research projects – sponsored by ENGIE Research&Innovation – on offshore wind and floating PV for several years, is responsible for monitoring the OFPV pilot Seavolt and already studied the potential integration of OFPV into a Dutch wind farm.
Blue Cluster
With a sustainable blue economy as its core business, Blue Cluster has built up considerable expertise in (international) marine policy and gives advice to policy makers based on the experience of innovative technologies in its projects. They are involved in various innovative projects dealing with multi-use of marine spaces as well as Marine Spatial Planning, and provide a strong link to the business community.
The Institute of Natural Sciences
RBINS possesses significant expertise in marine ecology, covering hydrodynamic and biogeochemical modelling, experimental work, and field studies. This positions them well for the quantification of environmental impacts related to OFPV, and anthropogenic activity at seas more generally. The competencies on these topics were established in several previous research projects.
imec
Imec/EnergyVille runs and develops a physics-based energy yield modelling framework allowing to calculate the energy yield of several integrated-PV applications as a function of environmental conditions and installation constraints. By extending a model established in the MarineSPOTS project, the energy system will build further on degradation models for PV systems under different stressors, which can be refined with the unique environment of OFPV.
UHasselt
UHasselt/EnergyVille has broad expertise in the domain of energy systems reliability within the department imo-imomec, in collaboration with imec. In previous projects, this research group worked on reliability modelling and testing of solar modules and power electronic systems under different thermal, mechanical and electrical stresses, as well as PV system design, in-situ sensing and energy optimisation.
“With the complementary expertise of the partners, we will determine the boundary conditions for the integration of solar and wind energy offshore. We will engage with stakeholders to work out pathways for effective deployment of this exciting combination of technologies. This can help putting Belgium firmly on the map when it comes to innovative renewable energy generation.”
Johan Driesen, Professor of Electrical Engineering at KU Leuven affiliated with EnergyVille
Aim and approach
The consortium of SWiM aims to research the boundary conditions for safe and effective deployment of offshore photovoltaics in multi-use areas, particularly wind farms in the Belgian marine zone. The work in the project is grouped into six work packages
Work Package 0
This work package deals with tracking the timing of the tasks, conducting risk assessments, calling for remediation in case of major deviations and monitoring the budget.
This includes organising regular meetings, exchanging information with the Advisory Committee, summarising the results in internal reports and disclosing information to the public.
Work Package 1
The deployment of energy systems at sea, particularly offshore photovoltaic (OFPV) installations, presents many challenges that significantly impact energy yield and system reliability. One of the foremost challenges is the dynamic and harsh marine environment, subjecting the OFPV systems to wave-induced movements, salt deposition, algae growth, and bird droppings.
These factors affect energy generation and reliability of the FPV system. Additionally, the presence of nearby wind turbines introduces dynamic shading effects, influencing the overall performance of PV modules and the power conversion system.
Work Package 2
Our researchers have shown good complementarity between solar and wind resources around the year. Combining wind farms and PV systems makes it possible to increase the use of the cable connecting the system to the shore, which represents a significant share of the investment costs. In Work Package 2, the limitations of the cable will be analysed in detail to determine which amount of electricity can be brought onshore, and to ensure proper sizing of the PV generator while keeping curtailment losses in check.
The true limitation depends on the thermal properties of the cable and its surroundings. A detailed model is necessary to determine the time-temperature behavior and to stay within safe limits. Other ways to overcome cable constraints are battery storage or conversion to hydrogen. Concepts will be investigated to determine their technical and economic feasibility. The results of the study will be applied to representative model cases. Further work will be done on the internal electrical design of the PV system, considering options for direct current and alternating current designs.
Work Package 3
To successfully implement large-scale OFPV projects in Belgian waters, a significant augmentation in the density of offshore infrastructures is imperative. This, however, introduces challenges related to maintaining the necessary safety distances between floating structures and anchoring systems. It is therefore paramount to optimise the number, size, and positioning of OFPVs within an OWP, considering practical spatial constraints, to ensure optimal energy generation from OFPV parks.
An important objective is to explore the most efficient integration of OFPVs and OWPs. Utilizing the vacant spaces between wind turbines for OFPV installation holds promise for achieving higher capacity density, potentially up to seven times the typical values for standalone wind turbines. This strategic placement can lead to increased and smoother power output, decreased environmental loads attributable to park effects, and shared infrastructure for grid connectivity and operation and maintenance (O&M) activities.
Work Package 4
The deployment of OFPV in Belgian waters will amount to a substantial increase in offshore infrastructures with regard to to the current offshore wind farm setting, and in particular a tremendous increase in submerged surfaces and anchoring systems. Submerged structures in the sea are rapidly colonised by hard-substrate organisms, which filter large volumes of water and excrete fecal pellets rich in organic carbon.
The effect of OFPV installations on the marine environment consists of a change in the intensity and the spatio-temporal distribution of ecological processes that determine the flows and distribution patterns of chemical elements from coast to offshore and from water surface to the seabed in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Scaling-up those effects at a regional scale requires inclusion of fouling fauna process rates within a realistic representation of the background environmental dynamics.
Work Package 5
Sustainable Blue Economy depends on innovation and efficient use of space (co-location or multi-use). Integrating floating PV in existing offshore wind farms is a tangible example of potential implementation of multi-use of space and accelerating the development of Sustainable Blue Economy.
It implies that permitting procedures have to accommodate for combined use. This specific case provides the opportunity for policy analysis and to produce recommendations on necessary changes in the existing permitting procedures.
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