Imagine placing giant, floating solar panels in the empty spaces between massive wind turbines at sea. Instead of choosing between wind or sun, this system uses both in the same spot to get more power from the ocean. It's like adding a solar carpet to the sea floor's surface to maximize energy production.
Offshore solar is currently economically unfeasible and technically difficult due to corrosive environments and harsh waves. There is a critical need to maximize energy yield from limited sea space to meet 2030 and 2050 climate targets.
A 5 MW North Sea demonstrator, a dynamic floating substation, and six standard testing methodologies for FPV components.
If you are a utility company dealing with limited sea space for energy production — this project developed a 1 km² solar system that fits between four wind turbines. This allows you to generate five times more energy per unit of sea space.
If you are an engineering firm dealing with the corrosive and harsh conditions of the North Sea — this project developed a 5 MW demonstrator and a dynamic floating substation. This provides a blueprint for building durable solar arrays that last 25 years.
If you are a consultancy dealing with strict environmental impact regulations for sea installations — this project developed new assessment methodologies for large-scale floating photovoltaics. This helps ensure a net-positive impact on marine ecosystems.
The project aims to decrease the Levelized Costs of Energy (LCOE) by 50% by improving design robustness and extending system lifetimes to 25 years.
The project targets a standard industry format of 1 km² with an installed capacity of 50-200 MW, fitting between four 10+ MW wind turbines.
Based on available project data, specific IP or licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project aims to create an 'Industry Standard' for large-scale offshore solar.
Validation is occurring through a 5 MW demonstrator in the North Sea with a testing period extended from 18 to 54 months.
The project period runs from 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven with a 67% industry ratio, comprising 10 companies and 4 research organizations across 10 countries. The presence of 7 SMEs suggests a strong focus on agile technology development, while the inclusion of a leading EU utility partner ensures a direct path to large-scale implementation and market integration.
Contact RINA CONSULTING SPA in Italy for partnership inquiries.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the BAMBOO consortium for licensing and implementation.
