Dutch aims to build large offshore Solar power farm

An offshore seaweed farm in the North Sea will be transformed into a large solar power farm focusing to pipe energy to the Dutch mainland in approximately three years.

Netherlands is facing an uphill challenge of trying to alleviate fossil fuels and adhere to greenhouse gas emissions targets. A consortium comprising of energy producers, scientists and researchers aim to operate 2,500 square meters of floating solar  panels by 2021.

The pilot set to have  1.2 million euros ($1.48 million) in government funding, will operate 30 square meters of panels from this summer. It will test equipment, weather conditions, environmental impact and energy output. Utrecht University will examine energy production at the offshore prototype, located around 15 Km (nine miles) off the coast of Dutch city of The Hague at a testing zone known as the North Sea Farm.

Solar energy expert Wilfried van Sark at Utrecht University, who is involved in the project claimed “In addition to removing the problem of a land shortage, there are several other benefits to building at sea, similar to those in wind energy.”

The panels will be more rugged than ordinary onshore models to account for the harsher weather conditions and tidal shifts at sea, Van Sark said. The panels will be moored between existing wind turbines and connected to the same cables, transporting energy efficiently to end users.