PROMOTION · Project

Cheaper, Proven Technology to Connect Offshore Wind Farms into One Power Grid

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Imagine dozens of offshore wind farms scattered across the North Sea, each sending electricity to shore through its own expensive cable — like every house in a neighborhood having its own private road to the highway. PROMOTION figured out how to wire those wind farms together into a shared underwater power grid, using cheaper connectors and smart circuit breakers that can handle faults without shutting everything down. They actually built and tested the hardware — including breakers that can cut a DC fault in milliseconds — and proved that equipment from different manufacturers can work together like a plug-and-play system. The result is a practical roadmap to connect Europe's offshore wind at a fraction of what it would cost with today's one-cable-per-farm approach.

By the numbers

consortium partners across industry, academia, and research

countries represented in the consortium

industry partners including all major HVDC and wind turbine manufacturers

total project deliverables produced

full-scale demonstration campaigns completed

68%

industry partner ratio in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Europe's offshore wind potential is bottlenecked by transmission infrastructure. Each wind farm currently needs its own dedicated, expensive HVDC cable to shore — there is no shared offshore grid. The technology to build meshed underwater power networks exists in theory, but three barriers block it: converter stations are too expensive, protection systems from different manufacturers cannot work together, and no one has proven that HVDC circuit breakers actually perform when needed.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered hardware prototypes of kW-size hybrid and mechanical DC circuit breakers, built and tested. A fully rated compact diode rectifier converter was connected to an existing wind farm. Five full-scale demonstrations validated selective and non-selective protection system interoperability in a Multi-Terminal Test Environment, proving multi-vendor plug-and-play capability. An international regulatory and financial framework was developed alongside a North Sea grid deployment plan.

Audience

Who needs this

Offshore wind farm developers planning North Sea projectsHVDC equipment manufacturers seeking interoperability standardsTransmission system operators building cross-border offshore connectionsEnergy investors evaluating offshore grid infrastructure opportunitiesGrid protection system vendors targeting the HVDC market

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Offshore Wind Development

enterprise

Target: Offshore wind farm developers and operators

If you are an offshore wind developer dealing with the massive cost of dedicated HVDC export cables for each wind farm — this project demonstrated a diode rectifier converter that replaces complex, bulky offshore converters, cutting investment and maintenance costs while increasing availability. The technology was validated by connecting a fully rated converter to an existing wind farm, with 34 industry partners confirming commercial viability.

Power Transmission Equipment

enterprise

Target: HVDC equipment manufacturers and system integrators

If you are an HVDC equipment manufacturer struggling with proprietary protection systems that lock customers into single-vendor solutions — this project demonstrated multi-vendor interoperable DC grid protection as a plug-and-play solution. Hardware prototypes of hybrid and mechanical DC circuit breakers were built and tested at kW scale, proving cross-vendor compatibility across 5 dedicated demonstration campaigns.

Transmission System Operation

enterprise

Target: Transmission system operators (TSOs) bordering the North Sea

If you are a TSO planning offshore grid connections but facing uncertainty about HVDC circuit breaker readiness and protection system reliability — this project first-time demonstrated performance of existing HVDC circuit breaker prototypes and validated selective and non-selective protection strategies. The consortium included all major North Sea TSOs across 12 countries, producing a deployment plan for meshed offshore grids.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much could diode rectifier converters save compared to current offshore converter technology?

The project objective states diode rectifier converters significantly reduce investment and maintenance cost compared to complex, bulky conventional converters, while increasing availability. Exact cost reduction percentages were not published in the available project data. A fully rated compact diode rectifier converter was connected to an existing wind farm for validation.

Has this been tested at industrial scale or only in the lab?

Multiple components were demonstrated at or near industrial scale. Hardware prototypes of kW-size hybrid and mechanical DC circuit breakers were built and tested. A fully rated diode rectifier converter was connected to an existing wind farm. Protection system interoperability was demonstrated in a full-scale Multi-Terminal Test Environment.

Who owns the IP and can I license the technology?

The consortium of 50 partners across 12 countries includes 34 industry partners — all major HVDC and wind turbine manufacturers, TSOs, and offshore wind developers. IP ownership is governed by the consortium agreement. Contact the coordinator DNV Netherlands BV regarding licensing terms for specific technologies like the diode rectifier converter or DC circuit breakers.

Does this work with equipment from different manufacturers?

Yes — a core goal was proving multi-vendor interoperability. The project demonstrated that DC grid protection can function as a plug-and-play solution using components from different manufacturers. Both selective and non-selective protection system interoperability were validated in dedicated demonstration campaigns.

What regulatory approvals exist for meshed HVDC offshore grids?

The project developed an international regulatory and financial framework essential for funding, deployment, and operation of meshed offshore HVDC grids, including a deployment plan for 2020 and beyond. This addressed one of the three key barriers identified: immature international regulations and financial instruments.

How mature is this technology — when can it be deployed commercially?

The project advanced HVDC grid technologies from medium to high TRL as stated in its objective. With hardware prototypes tested, full-scale demonstrations completed, and 34 industry partners validating results, the technology is at pilot-to-deployment stage. The deployment plan targets commercial rollout in North Sea grid projects.

Can this integrate with existing HVDC point-to-point connections?

The project specifically addressed the transition from today's point-to-point HVDC links to meshed multi-terminal grids. The Multi-Terminal Test Environment and protection system demonstrations were designed to prove compatibility with existing HVDC infrastructure. The involvement of all major North Sea TSOs ensured real-world grid integration requirements were addressed.

Consortium

Who built it

This is one of the largest energy infrastructure consortia in Horizon 2020, with 50 partners spanning 12 countries. The 68% industry ratio (34 industry partners) is exceptionally high, signaling strong commercial pull rather than academic curiosity. The consortium explicitly includes all major HVDC manufacturers, all North Sea TSOs, leading offshore wind developers, and top-tier universities — essentially, every company that would need to buy, build, or operate this technology was already at the table. DNV Netherlands (the coordinator) is one of the world's leading energy certification and advisory firms, giving the results immediate credibility with investors and regulators. With only 1 SME among 50 partners, this is firmly a large-enterprise play targeting the multi-billion-euro offshore grid infrastructure market.

DNV NETHERLANDS BVCoordinator · NL
THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEENparticipant · UK
ORSTED WIND POWER A/Sparticipant · DK
IBERDROLA INGENIERIA Y CONSTRUCCION SAUthirdparty · ES
HITACHI ENERGY SWEDEN ABparticipant · SE
ABB SCHWEIZ AGthirdparty · CH
SCOTTISHPOWER RENEWABLE ENERGY LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
AFFARSVERKET SVENSKA KRAFTNATparticipant · SE
GARRAD HASSAN & PARTNERS LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLANparticipant · SE
UK GRID SOLUTIONS LIMITEDparticipant · UK
THE CARBON TRUSTparticipant · UK
RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHENparticipant · DE
SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY ASthirdparty · DK
ADWEN OFFSHORE S.L.participant · ES
EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTEparticipant · IT
TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING S.A.participant · BE
DNV ASthirdparty · NO
TENNET TSO GMBHthirdparty · DE
UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPESthirdparty · FR
SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY DEUSTCHLAND GMBHthirdparty · DE
IBERDROLA RENOVABLES ENERGIA SAparticipant · ES
SCIBREAK ABparticipant · SE
DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
TENNET TSO BVparticipant · NL
SUPERGRID INSTITUTEparticipant · FR
RTE RESEAU DE TRANSPORT D'ELECTRICITEparticipant · FR
RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGENparticipant · NL
UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE VALENCIAparticipant · ES
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC EUROPE BVparticipant · NL
ENERGINETparticipant · DK
FORSCHUNGSGEMEINSCHAFT FUER ELEKTRISCHE ANLAGEN UND STROMWIRTSCHAFT E.V.participant · DE
KEMA BVthirdparty · NL
EQUINOR ASAparticipant · NO
SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO. KGparticipant · DE
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTparticipant · DE
EIRGRID PLCparticipant · IE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFTparticipant · NL
ENGIE IMPACT BELGIUMparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDEparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

DNV Netherlands BV is the coordinator. As a major global energy advisory firm, their grid technology division handles HVDC-related inquiries.

Order a report on this consortium See DNV NETHERLANDS BV profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the PROMOTION consortium or a detailed brief on the diode rectifier converter, DC circuit breakers, or protection system technology? SciTransfer can connect you with the right team.

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