Test centres BiMEP, CEO, Foundation Open-C, METCEntre and PLOCAN have created HiPoTeSis, a unique, collaborative network of five operational offshore test sites that aims to provide the European Union with the future high-power infrastructure for testing new floating wind projects.
Europe’s floating offshore wind sector can secure global leadership, and the HiPoTeSis test site alliance is calling for more incentives to share data from EU-funded projects to drive innovation. The test site alliance will address the common challenges facing the industry, the most important of which is permitting.
At a seminar organised by the Global Offshore Wind Energy Forum at WindEnergy in Hamburg, offshore test centres presented their initiatives for a fast-track permitting system for demonstration projects, the inclusion of two demonstration projects per year in relevant EU calls for proposals, the creation of a new European infrastructure co-investment support scheme and the implementation of better incentives for data sharing.
Test and demonstration projects are absolutely necessary to bring down the costs of floating offshore wind energy, says Arvid Nesse, CEO of METCentre Norway.
With a target of 10 GW by 2030, it is crucial to standardise and industrialise floating technologies between 2024 and 2030. To remain a leader, the EU must develop this infrastructure and act now to stimulate innovation, stresses Bertrand Alessandrini, CEO of the OPEN-C Foundation.
In Europe, test centres are subject to the same authorisation procedures as business parks, which take years to complete.
‘Our experience tells us that the permitting process could be simpler, considering that these permits are for a limited number of turbines, for a limited time and already located in test sites, compared to commercial wind farms,’ says Carlos Pinho, CEO’s chairman of the board.
Establishing grid infrastructure in test areas to prepare for the next generation of floating offshore wind turbines requires significant capital investments. Substations and electricity transmission cables to shore are examples of infrastructures that need to be installed.
‘Our test sites are essential for the acceleration and success of the industry in Europe, and this is a strong argument for increased funding plans,’ says José Joaquín Hernández Brito, director of PLOCAN.
