Dutch Offshore Floating Solar (OFS) consortium Merganser has a grant of EUR7.8 million ($8 billion) from RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) to develop, test and validate the Merganser solar energy platform in harsh North Sea conditions.

OFS company SolarDuck will collaborate with research institutes TU Delft, TNO, MARIN and Deltares, with six interconnected OFS platforms in the pilot delivering 500 KWp.

Floating solar energy developments can theoretically be installed safely in between existing offshore wind turbines and can be constructed anywhere with pop-up assembly lines, although the consortium will test these assumptions in the project.

The Merganser is a prototype installation. The consortium will use the subsidy for construction of the pilot and to test it offshore in the North Sea.

SolarDuck will be responsible for project management, developing the final technical specifications and providing technical support for the research institutes. In addition, the consortium will develop the requirements for a commercial-scaled project of at least 5 MWp.

They will design containerization and pop-up assembly concepts to enable efficient transport and local construction of future Merganser units.

The institutes’ research scope will include corrosion resistance of the solar and electrical systems, UV degradation of the synthetic anchors, and marine growth on the floaters.

Other issues to be investigated are the potential integration of offshore solar and wind energy, developing fatigue prediction models and flexible mooring line concepts for shallow water.

Testing and monitoring should be completed by year-end 2024.

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	Issue 82 of Robban Assafina (Nov./Dec. 2022)