Oceans of Energy – North Sea Offshore Solar

The Dutch company “Oceans of Energy” has installed 50 kW worth of solar modules 15 km out of the coast of The Hague, and so far they have weathered 140 kmh storms and 10 meter waves.

Oceans of Energy has raised its ambition level and wants to roll out in 3 phases: 1, 10 and 100 MW resp. The big selling point of this technology is that no valuable and very scarce Dutch land resources need to be occupied with solar panels. The Dutch part of the North Sea has an area of 57,800 km. With an annual solar radiation of ca. 1000 kWh/m2 and a solar panel efficiency of 20%, this area would in theory be sufficient to generate an annual 11,560 TWh. Note that Dutch annual electricity consumption is 120 TWh or merely 1% of the total Dutch North Sea solar potential. And then there is that 85 GW of wind potential.

Who needs Saudi-Arabia if you have the Netherlands?

All-in-all, more than sufficient to power the entire EU. Not going to happen, of course. Cheaper energy in the form of hydrogen from for instance, Africa, will limit the economic energy harvesting potential of the North Sea. But to bridge a few decades of energy starvation due to geopolitical factors, like the Ukraine war? Who knows?

[offshore-energy.biz] – Dutch floating solar unit weathers through major North Sea storms intact
[offshore-energy.biz] – Oceans of Energy plans twentyfold scale-up of floating solar plant in North Sea
[offshore-energy.biz] – Oceans of Energy’s floating solar system weathers through all North Sea storms
[wikipedia.org] – Floating solar

Vattenfall Offers Hydrogen Cluster in OSW Bid

In the coming Autumn, the bidding will be opened for building Hollandse Kust West offshore wind park. Vattenfalls stands out in that they offer to feed the 45 MW output of Kavel VII (parcel 7) into electrolysers, mounted in the three wind turbine towers. In this way, expensive cabling can be left out completely. The hydrogen will be brought onshore via a pipeline.

Vattenfall has previous experience with hydrogen generation at sea in Scotland, with a single turbine.

[vattenfall.com] – Vattenfall wil in Nederland eerste waterstofcluster ter wereld bouwen

Updated 21 GW Dutch Offshore Wind Plans Until 2030

The original, pre-Ukraine war, 11 GW Dutch offshore wind plans are indicated in light-blue. In orange, the 10 GW extra offshore wind parks.

Back in May, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany set a target of developing at least 65 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and at least 150 GW by 2050.

The annual Dutch electricity consumption is for years fairly stable at 120 billion kWh or 13.7 GW on average 24/7/365. For a 100% renewable energy base, you need double that amount, or 27.4 GW continuously. With a capacity factory of 0.5 for offshore wind, that would amount to 54.8 GW name plate offshore wind.

[offshorewind.biz] – The Netherlands Sets Tendering Timelines for 13.4 GW of Offshore Wind

North Sea to Become World’s Largest Green Power Plant

Signing ceremony in Esbjerg today

Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium signed several agreements today in Esbjerg, Denmark, related to a newly decided massive expansion of wind energy plans. This is about 150 GW wind capacity in the North Sea until 2050, subsea interconnectors, energy islands to collect and distribute electricity to the EU and the production of hydrogen.

Nothing is being decided that hadn’t already been identified as potential. It is just that events in Ukraine has hardened the resolve to realize that potential, no ifs or buts. From now on, it’s all systems go. It’s unclear, however, how this joint 150 GW is going to be distributed over the 4 cooperating countries.

Additionally, the ambition is to phase out Russian fossil fuel completely by 2027 from the EU.

[offshorewind.biz] – 150 GW target set by Four EU Countries for 2050
[reuters.com] – Four countries pledge tenfold rise in EU offshore wind power capacity
[nos.nl] – Noordzeelanden gaan capaciteit windparken vertienvoudigen

Previous posts regarding intentions North Sea wind:

[deepresource] – Overview Dutch Offshore Wind Effort until 2030 and Beyond

March 2021: Dutch plans 11 GW by 2030. A consortium estimates that eventually, 60 GW will be installed in the Dutch part of the North Sea.

[deepresource] – Green Light for Extra New Dutch Offshore Wind Parks

March 2022: the Netherlands plans to double its ambition, 21 GW by 2030.

[deepresource] – Denmark Approves 10 GW Energy Island in North Sea (Feb 2021)

Siemens-Gamesa B115 Recyclable Blade

[electrek.co] – Siemens Gamesa is now producing 115-meter-long offshore wind turbine blades

Spanish-German wind giant Siemens Gamesa has started production of its first B115 blades at its facility in Aalborg, Denmark. The blades will be used on its SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbine, which will have an output of 14 MW and a rotor diameter of 236 meters (774 feet).

[source] Siemens-Gamesa facility in Aalborg, Denmark

Wind Osprey to Begin Installing 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust Zuid

150 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW wind turbines.
Operational: 2023
Owners: Vattenfall (50,5%), BASF (24,3%), Allianz (25,2%)
Power: 1520 MW (yet another “largest offshore wind park in the world”)

[offshorewind.biz] – Wind Osprey All Set for Hollandse Kust Zuid Wind Turbines
[vattenfall.nl] – Windpark Hollandse Kust
[vattenfall-hollandsekust.nl] – Vattenfall bouwt windpark Hollandse Kust Zuid
[nl.wikipedia.org] – Windpark Hollandse Kust Zuid

Green Light for Extra New Dutch Offshore Wind Parks

Three new offshore wind parks planned for the Netherlands

This just in: the Dutch government has allocated 1.7 billion euro for 3 extra new offshore wind parks in the North Sea. Names: Nederwiek, Lagelander en Doordewind. The money is not intended for the turbines itself (there is more than enough eager capital available for that in the markets), but for shipping safety, nature protection in the North Sea and the procedures needed to lay electricity cables to the mainland. Money is also going to make fishing in the North Sea more sustainable.

Regarding the intended size of the wind parks, the only thing known so far is that the new 2030 offshore wind power target is 21 GW.

[nu.nl] – Kabinet trekt 1,7 miljard uit om het aantal windparken op zee te verdubbelen
[rijksoverheid.nl] – Kabinet verdubbelt productie windenergie op zee

One Offshore Turbine Powers All Dutch E-Bikes

17 million Dutch, 5 million e-bikes.
Average e-bike distance: 43 km/week.
Average e-bike price: 2283 euro.

[twitter.com] – Martien Visser
[rtlnieuws.nl] – Nederland telt nu bijna 5 miljoen elektrische fietsen

UK OWF Fast Lane Auctions – EU Watch Out!

Dear EU, don’t make the same mistake with offshore wind, as you made with Covid-19 vaccines and fish behind the net. The bottleneck in getting the EU green agenda realized (not to mention energy security) is not money, but scarce continental European labor to implement it. Don’t let it happen that geopolitical adversary Brexit-Britain (and the US) will snatch away all implementation capacity with their fast lane auctions. Find ways to make continental European companies give priority to projects in EU countries. Protectionism now! Realize that the US and UK have no other intention than to destroy the EU and set Europe up for war over the Ukraine. Break with Anglosphere now and opt for Russia and the New Silk Road. That is where the energy, resources, trade and future wealth is.

[offshorewind.biz] – UK to Hold Yearly Contracts for Difference Auctions from 2023 Onwards
[rechargenews.com] – UK puts offshore wind in fast lane with annual green power auctions

4.8 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm – 2026 World’s Largest

The finance of the project is coordinated by BNP Paribas, the largest bank in the eurozone.

[wikipedia.org] – BNP Paribas
[wikipedia.org] – Dogger Bank Wind Farm