Bekaert has been chosen to provide mooring solution analysis for one of the largest offshore floating solar projects, the Nautical Sunrise project.
The outcomes of the Nautical Sunrise project are expected to facilitate the large-scale deployment and commercialization of offshore floating solar systems, both as standalone systems and as integrated into offshore wind farms.
The consortium behind Nautical Sunrise aims to design, build, and demonstrate a 5MW offshore floating solar system using the modular solution of Dutch company SolarDuck. RWE will provide the investment for the installation and deployment, and the system is planned to be electrically integrated, certified, and located within RWE’s OranjeWind (Hollandse Kust West 7) wind farm off the west coast of The Netherlands.
Building on its work in floating offshore wind, Bekaert will contribute to the analysis of the impact of innovative mooring solutions on offshore floating solar PV systems.
“As part of this collaboration, our team will evaluate the performance and cost-effectiveness of various mooring solutions, including polyester, nylon, and new technologies such as the TFI Marine SeaSpring load reduction device,” said Bekaert general manager synthetic Christof Dewijngaert.
The project will conduct extensive research and testing to ensure the reliability, survivability, electrical stability, and yield of offshore floating solar systems before offshore deployment. A comprehensive scale-up plan will address challenges and drive forward the commercialization of offshore floating solar systems.
The consortium includes project lead Dutch Marine Energy Centre (DMEC), SolarDuck, RWE, Carlo Maresca Group, Bekaert, Deltares, Hasselt University (UHasselt), KU Leuven, Oxford PV, SINTEF Industry, SINTEF Ocean, The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC-CERCA), INESC TEC, and WavEC Offshore Renewables.
“Not only do we have the chance to address important knowledge gaps around the design and environmental impact of offshore solar,” said DMEC chief technology officer Simon Stark. “Together with RWE and the OranjeWind consortium, we can do so in full alignment and integration with a commercial offshore wind park.”
