From around the world: North Sea project combining solar and wind energy moves forward
19. 7. 2025
As part of a project in the Dutch North Sea, a floating solar farm is being built near an existing wind farm. Developers have recently installed an anchoring system that will hold the solar farm in place, while an electrical cable will connect the array to a nearby wind turbine foundation.
The installation is part of an ongoing project to install a solar farm supplied by Dutch solar company Oceans of Energy in the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm, located 22 kilometres off the Dutch North Sea coast.
The project is described as the world's first offshore project combining solar and wind energy. The anchoring system will hold the solar farm in place, while an electrical cable will connect the array to a nearby wind turbine foundation.
Oceans of Energy founder and CEO Allard van Hoeken said the installation of the anchoring system ‘is a huge milestone, as it is the first installation in this pioneering project.’
Van Hoeken added that by combining floating solar and wind power, the site will deliver a smoother flow of electricity to the mainland, which could increase energy production by up to five times while using the same amount of sea space.
The existing 759 MW wind farm is operated by Crosswind, a joint venture between Shell and Dutch energy company Eneco. Further details about the solar power plant have not been disclosed.
‘The reliability of the mooring system is crucial not only for the safety and stability of the floating solar park, but also to ensure its smooth operation alongside the surrounding wind turbines,’ explained Jeroen van Loon, project manager at Crosswind Offshore Solar.
Oceans of Energy and Crosswind announced the successful completion of factory tests and the delivery of an electrical cable from Swedish company NK, which will transport the generated energy to a nearby foundation pile.
Oceans of Energy launched the world's first floating solar farm, a 50 kW modular photovoltaic system, in the Dutch North Sea in 2019.
A December 2020 report by DNV GL predicts that the North Sea could host floating solar power plants with a capacity of approximately 100 MW by 2030 and up to 500 MW by 2035.
The installation is part of an ongoing project to install a solar farm supplied by Dutch solar company Oceans of Energy in the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm, located 22 kilometres off the Dutch North Sea coast.
The project is described as the world's first offshore project combining solar and wind energy. The anchoring system will hold the solar farm in place, while an electrical cable will connect the array to a nearby wind turbine foundation.
Oceans of Energy founder and CEO Allard van Hoeken said the installation of the anchoring system ‘is a huge milestone, as it is the first installation in this pioneering project.’
Van Hoeken added that by combining floating solar and wind power, the site will deliver a smoother flow of electricity to the mainland, which could increase energy production by up to five times while using the same amount of sea space.
The existing 759 MW wind farm is operated by Crosswind, a joint venture between Shell and Dutch energy company Eneco. Further details about the solar power plant have not been disclosed.
‘The reliability of the mooring system is crucial not only for the safety and stability of the floating solar park, but also to ensure its smooth operation alongside the surrounding wind turbines,’ explained Jeroen van Loon, project manager at Crosswind Offshore Solar.
Oceans of Energy and Crosswind announced the successful completion of factory tests and the delivery of an electrical cable from Swedish company NK, which will transport the generated energy to a nearby foundation pile.
Oceans of Energy launched the world's first floating solar farm, a 50 kW modular photovoltaic system, in the Dutch North Sea in 2019.
A December 2020 report by DNV GL predicts that the North Sea could host floating solar power plants with a capacity of approximately 100 MW by 2030 and up to 500 MW by 2035.