In order to increase the sustainability of North Sea renewable energy projects, a group of Dutch businesses has started a government-funded study to investigate the synergies between offshore wind, offshore solar, and at-sea hydrogen generation.
The integration of diverse energy system modules for the Dutch North Sea is the focus of the recently funded innovative research project Sun Enhanced North Sea Energy Hub (SENSE-HUB), which is led by TNO. The interactions between offshore wind, offshore solar, and at-sea hydrogen generation will be taken into account for the first time.
In the course of the four-year project, SENSE-HUB will quicken the adoption of offshore solar in offshore renewable energy systems.
Project-related actions
The consortium’s goal is to comprehend and eliminate the SENSE-HUB implementation constraints from a technical, economic, ecological, legal, and societal standpoint. Oceans of Energy will demonstrate an efficient offshore solar system in the North Sea, and NIOZ and Deltares will conduct ecological monitoring and model the effects of hybrid energy parks. The Q13a offshore production platform will be close by when the demonstration takes place.
TNO, Primo-Marine, and Advanced Electromagnetics will create techno-economic system designs at GW-scale while validating the SENSE-HUB concept in the TNO SWITCH Lab. NewGroundLaw and Primo-Marine will create the essential legal and regulatory foundations for such integrated energy systems. The appropriate stakeholders will be identified by Deltares, and it will keep them frequently updated on the knowledge created by this initiative.
Partners
With partners Oceans of Energy, Deltares, NIOZ, Primo Marine, NewGroundLaw, and Advanced Electromagnetics, the collaboration is headed by TNO. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate’s TopSector “Energiesubsidie” has enabled the initiative.
