Wheels set in motion for project using North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Western Mediterranean as case studies to align offshore renewables with ocean protection

As one of the consortium members, the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) has unveiled the launch of a project, which is envisioned to promote nature-inclusive designs for offshore renewable infrastructure.

Funded under Horizon Europe’s ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’ mission, the Nature-inclusive designs for reconciling offshore renewables with ocean protection project, known as NiD4OCEAN, focuses on harmonizing offshore renewable infrastructure such as offshore wind and floating solar developments with ocean protection across the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Western Mediterranean, which are used as case studies. 

According to RGI, the project’s main objectives include identifying existing solutions; co-creating new nature-based designs; assessing the biological, socio-economic, and social benefits and risks; and offering science-backed recommendations and standards for deploying and monitoring these innovations together with end-users, including industry, managers, and policymakers. The initiative aims to deliver solutions that benefit both biodiversity and decarbonization efforts.

To this end, NiD4OCEAN intends to develop effective, context-dependent solutions applying a transdisciplinary approach, enabling the industry, managers, and policymakers to achieve the global and EU targets for carbon neutrality, biodiversity restoration, and a sustainable blue economy.

The project is led by a consortium of 13 partners from eight countries, including research institutes such as the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Akvaplan-niva, Wageningen University & Research, Deltares, and CSIC universities like DTU – Technical University of Denmark and Klaipeda University; an environmental NGO Stichting De Noordzee a non-profit organization Renewables Grid Initiative a science communication SME Science Crunchers. a certification and risk management company DNV; and energy companies encompassing ScottishPower Renewables and Equinor.

In March 2024, the consortium behind the Nautical SUNRISE project initiated work on the development of what is set to become the world’s largest offshore floating solar (OFS) power installation. The project is expected to pave the way for large-scale deployment and commercialization of OFS systems in the future, with potential applications as standalone power systems or in combination with offshore wind farms to maximize renewable energy production at sea.