Innovation often arises from necessity. Famous for reclaiming earth from the North Sea, demand for land is as Dutch as Gouda or tulips, and creates a very real necessity for land-use efficiency in the Netherlands. So, when the looking at the combined land challenges and ever-growing national demand for energy, a breeze from the North Sea sparked a thought: "Why not use these very waters for scaling up renewable energy production?"
Oceans of Energy, a Dutch renewable energy pioneer, realised that adding offshore solar panels to sea areas already used by wind farms could increase total energy production up to fivefold compared to offshore wind alone. Using just 3-5% of the space between turbines for solar panels can boost energy output by over 20%, all while using the existing energy system infrastructure. They viewed it as a strategic solution, with roughly 70% of the country's energy use, and a significant portion of its population, located in coastal regions. Considering the grid connection constraints on land, the coupling of offshore solar and wind farms has emerged as a smart alternative, which is not only technically feasible but also economically viable and competitive. Oceans of Energy has accomplished its ambitious goals and developed a project named Nymphaea Aurora, which is now being prepared for offshore deployment from the Port of Amsterdam. The name Nymphaea Aurora draws its inspiration from a native European water lily, evoking the image of solar panels gently floating on the sea's surface, much like this graceful flower on still waters. Aurora, the Latin word for dawn, symbolises a new beginning, a fresh chapter for solar and the broader renewable energy landscape. Together, the name reflects both the beauty of nature and the promise of a new era in the clean energy transition.
© Oceans of Energy
SolarPower Europe, alongside representatives from the European Commission, the Dutch government, and key industry stakeholders, visited Nymphaea Aurora, a project soon to be integrated into the Hollandse Kust Noord's offshore wind farm, operated by CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco. The wind farm is already fully operational and consists of 69 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 11 MW, connected in strings to an offshore substation.
During the site visit, which was one of the last opportunities to view the innovative solar array onshore, attendees were given a short technical tour of the floating system. The visit began with a speech by Allard van Hoeken, Founder and CEO of Oceans of Energy, and included informal exchanges with EU and Dutch stakeholders on the broader potential of offshore solar. The tour concluded with an interview with the Founder and CEO, conducted by the SolarPower Europe team, offering further insights into the project's vision and future."This is the world's first offshore solar farm to be installed within an operational offshore wind park, a milestone that signals a brighter, cleaner future for our planet, our seas, and society as a whole. By generating abundant clean energy without occupying valuable land, we're making smarter use of space. And as the sea offers vast room for scaling up, offshore solar has the potential to become sustainable for clean energy production, provides shelter for fishes and opportunities for the ecology, and to be highly cost-competitive as well", said van Hoeken.
The Nymphaea Aurora installation spans 0.5 MWp, making it larger than a football field and engineered for modular expansion. Comprising 1,400 photovoltaic panels mounted on 196 floaters, the entire system was assembled in just three days at the Port of Amsterdam. © Oceans of Energy
This floating solar system stands out not only for its scale and speed of deployment but also for its design philosophy. The fabrication process, which took approximately six months, was carried out using circular design principles: 70% reused metals and 80% reused polymers were incorporated into its construction. Over its operational lifetime, estimated at 25 years, the installation is expected to avoid carbon emissions equivalent to planting 25,000 trees.
Once deployed offshore, Nymphaea Aurora will feed solar-generated electricity into the grid in the wind farm. By plugging into the offshore wind infrastructure, the system will maximise efficiency while minimising environmental and spatial impact, which is one of the main advantages of hybrid offshore energy solutions. Moreover, the project incorporates a dynamic power export cable, specifically designed for shallow sea conditions, allowing for a stable power connection to the monopile foundation of the offshore wind farm.
The project highlights the importance of accelerating offshore solar research, development, and deployment. Oceans of Energy has been testing offshore solar technology at sea since 2019, demonstrating year-round resilience and stability during 4-years offshore. The current project, and its integration into the CrossWind, marks the first commercial-scale step toward combining wind and solar offshore in the world.
