German energy firm RWE hopes to include a floating solar demonstration project at the Hollandse Kust West wind farm in the Dutch North Sea if it is successful in the ongoing tender.
It plans to first invest in Dutch-Norwegian firm SolarDuck’s 0.5MWp Merganser pilot project in the Belgian North Sea in 2023.
If RWE is successful in the Hollandse Kust West auction, it plans to work with SolarDuck to include a larger 5MWp demonstration project alongside the two 760MW wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands. The Dutch government is due to announce winners in the autumn.
RWE argues that by using the space between wind turbines for solar panels, sea space can be used more efficiently. Developers could also use synergies from construction and maintenance at hybrid renewable plants, it suggested.
Wind and solar resources' complementary nature also means that hybrid project have a more balanced production profile, RWE added.
