'Solar's next frontier' | RWE backs North Sea floating PV pilot as step to link with offshore wind

German utility RWE will invest in a floating solar pilot project in the North Sea off Belgium as part of a move into the technology that could include pairing it with offshore wind.

Building on the Merganser collaboration and – if they win the bid also at HKW – RWE and Dutch-Norwegian technology outfit SolarDuckSolarDuck plan to develop both standalone and hybrid commercial projects.

“We are very keen to further explore the potential of offshore floating solar together with our partner SolarDuck,” said Sven Utermöhlen, chief executive wind offshore at RWE Renewables.

“For countries with lower mean wind speeds but high solar irradiation, this opens up attractive opportunities.

“With the SolarDuck pilot we are gaining experience with a highly innovative offshore floating solar technology.”

The 1.5GW zero subsidy tender for Hollandse Kust West includes qualitative criteria. While bidders for the HKW VI need to include ecological measures in their development concept, for HKW VII, they must include investment and innovation that favours the Dutch energy system.

RWE next to floating solar in its bid for HKW VII has also included a plan for 600MW electrolyser capacity for green hydrogen production. The utility with its bid is competing with sector heavyweights such as Orsted with TotalEnergies, or BP, who all also have included hydrogen components in their bids, but not floating solar.

SolarDuck last year had already deployed a first inland floating solar pilot in the Netherlands.

The company offers a triangular-shaped platform, which it claims has received the world's first certification for offshore floating solar by Bureau Veritas and is designed to float several metres above the water, following the waves like a carpet.

That keeps critical electrical components dry, clean and stable, SolarDuck said, as well as securing the integrity of the semi-submersible structure while enabling safe operations and minimal maintenance.

“The need for secure, sustainable and affordable energy demands new and immediate answers from the industry in Europe and also globally,” SolarDuck chief executive Koen Burgers said.

“SolarDuck is part of this answer, bringing solar energy into its next frontier, the oceans.

“Showcasing SolarDuck’s robust technology in rough North Sea conditions will enable us to deploy the technology practically anywhere in the world.”

SolarDuck is a spin-off from Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards.