Presentations

Abstract

Offshore renewable generation is a key component for transforming the European energy sector to become self-sufficient, affordable and climate neutral in the next decades. A massive up-scale is needed to achieve the objective of a fivefold increase by 2030 and a 25-fold increase by 2050 in the North Sea. The Netherlands has set ambitious targets: to decrease CO2 emissions by at least 55%-60% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels), and by 80% in 2040. Offshore wind energy will be the main supplier for the power market, aiming towards 22 GW of installed capacity by 2030. Floating solar energy is an additional promising offshore technology, and the complementary nature of the wind and solar resources can increase the total amount of exported energy using the same infrastructure, thereby lowering initial total investment cost, and reducing the intermittency of the combined power profile. Additionally, the introduction of flexibility sources such as conversion to hydrogen and (electrical) energy storage can help mitigate curtailment, and yield new market opportunities that can help solidify the combined business case. To support in answering such design questions, TNO has developed a cross-departmental tool that integrates dynamic modelling of individual assets with operational optimisation of the combined plant for sizing and operation studies of hybrid power plants. In this study, an example case study for the upcoming IJmuiden Ver Gamma tender in the Dutch part of the North Sea is presented. This case study aims at showing the potential for additional energy generation on top of the traditional offshore wind farm setup, by addressing the following research questions: * What is the potential for expanding offshore renewable energy generation and transporting it to shore, given a limited energy infrastructure? * What is the effect of optimised asset sizing and optimal daily operation in avoiding curtailment and increasing utilisation of infrastructure?