Bureau Veritas has awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) to Oceans of Energy’s design of a high wave offshore solar farm system, operating in the North Sea since 2019.
The North Sea installation has a size of 500kW.
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 designed floaters, the mounting of the solar panels, scale model testing reports and mooring system design.
The rough North Sea conditions were used in the reviewed tests on the system and load cases determined all the structural calculations that had to be fulfilled.
The system has a lightweight structure that 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 a system combining rigid and flexible structures that allows it to ride on waves.
Such a system had not been used before in offshore high wave application, said Oceans of Energy.
The system recently entered its fourth year of successful operation in high waves and, since its deployment, has withstood many heavy storms, with waves up to 9.9 metres high.
The system was successfully basin-tested with 13-metre-high waves.
“Oceans of Energy is very proud to receive this Approval in Principle as we realise it is a testimony of sound engineering, a feasible and sound concept choice and a recognition as a leading technology with a promising future,” said Allard van Hoeken, founder and CEO of Oceans of Energy.
“It is of great reassurance to our stakeholders that the design of the floating farm and mooring system have been reviewed and approved by Bureau Veritas.”