Announcing the results of the Energy InnovationNL MOOI grants, RVO rightly speaks of great examples for the offshore energy transition. The grants go to projects to develop techniques to monitor the foundations and cables of wind farms, and underwater life, to get to work on producing hydrogen from the electricity generated by offshore wind turbines and for a project that aims to make offshore solar farms suitable for high waves in the North Sea. This project also aims to generate electricity to produce hydrogen. "With this, we can expand the generation of wind energy in the North Sea ecologically and sustainably," said Ruud Oerlemans, senior advisor at Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO).
Hydrogen as an essential element in the energy mix
Offshore wind energy and hydrogen production at sea are going to play an important role in our energy mix. Offshore wind farms will generate the majority of renewable energy, and hydrogen production will, among other things, help to better balance the energy system. This still requires a lot of research and innovation. The TKI Offshore Energy recently launched the knowledge platform HEROW, supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, to strengthen knowledge exchange and innovation for offshore hydrogen.
The potential of offshore solar
Floating solar panels could vastly increase the North Sea's capacity as a renewable energy source. It also still requires a lot of research and innovation. Earlier this year, TKI Offshore Energy published a report report on the potential of offshore solar and the barriers that still need to be overcome. Two key conclusions from this were that offshore solar could provide up to 45 gigawatts of capacity, making it an important addition.
Sustainable energy generation goes hand in hand with nature
The commitment to the proper incorporation of sustainable energy generation in the North Sea, our largest nature area, is a key issue. The tender for Hollandse Kust West already stimulated improvements for ecological incorporation. The topic is gaining momentum, as our webinar also showed. Quadrupling the number of wind turbines in the North Sea over the next seven years must go hand in hand with caring for nature. In fact, the ambition is to ensure that sustainable energy generation in the North Sea has a positive impact on nature by 2050. For this, we must pull out all the stops.