BV Approves High-Wave Offshore Solar Farm
Bureau Veritas (BV) has delivered an approval in principle to Oceans of Energy for its system design of a high-wave offshore solar farm.
Oceans of Energy’s system is the world’s first offshore solar farm proven in high waves, operating in the North Sea since 2019. This system is modular and scalable to any size.
The farm currently installed has a size of 0.5 MW. It has a unique design: Rather than heavy structures above sea, which are normally used for offshore technology, the offshore solar farm system is lightweight. It uses the sea surface directly as support, like a waterlily resting on the water surface. In order to withstand high waves and rough seas, it uses an innovative system combining rigid and flexible structures that allows it to ride on waves.
Such a novel system had not been used before in offshore high-wave application. The system is in its fourth year of successful operation in high waves. It has withstood many heavy storms, with waves up to 9.9 m high. The system was successfully basin tested with 13-m-high waves.
The approval in principle includes all aspects and products needed for the production of an offshore solar farm system. This includes Oceans of Energy’s design base, the floaters, the mounting of the solar panels, scale model testing reports and mooring system design.