Italy's 540MW hybrid offshore solar-floating wind farm

Plans have been announced for the construction of Italy’s 540-megawatt (MW) hybrid offshore solar-floating wind farm in the Gulf of Taranto off the Calabrian coast of Corigliano-Rossano. The Corigliano hybrid floating project has been undertaken by SolarDuck, a Dutch-Norwegian offshore solar company. It is located off the country’s southern coast, in the Ionian Sea. Further, the hybrid offshore solar-floating wind farm will feature 420 MW of offshore wind and 120 MW of floating solar. It will have 28 floating wind turbines. The details on the turbine developers have yet to be released.

The Project Team

SolarDuck will be collaborating with Green Arrow Capital, an Italian Asset managing company and New Developments, an Italian developer. Italy’s government has taken steps to simplify requirements for offshore wind projects. Under the country’s national recovery and resilience plan, measures are underway to further simplify authorization procedures for renewable offshore plants. The Decree FER2 should introduce mechanisms to promote renewable energy projects including OFPV, SolarDuck said.

Details on Italy’s hybrid solar-floating wind farm

SolarDuck is a subsidy of Damen Shipyards, a major shipbuilder in the Netherlands. They have relied on the shipbuilder’s knowledge to design elevated solar platforms made of offshore-grade aluminum that sit 10 feet (3 meters) off the water to withstand rough waters. The elevation also reduces salt deposits on the solar panels. (Floating solar farms on lakes and ponds tend to sit directly on the water.) The design is said to allow photo-voltaic panels to be deployed in significant wave heights while ensuring a safe environment for access and maintenance staff.

“These cutting-edge infrastructures generate green energy contributing to sustainable energy transition and independence. Furthermore, they also demonstrate their complementarity to onshore installations, preserving precious land resources,” Green Arrow’s Founder and Chief Investment Officer Daniele Camponeschi said.

“With the current momentum, we believe this is a unique opportunity for the offshore renewable energy industry to help shape a favorable regulatory framework and facilitate the scaling of OFPV”, says SolarDuck CEO, Koen Burgers.

The World’s Largest floating offshore solar plant

Further, in collaboration with Germany-based RWE, SolarDuck is developing a 5 MW photovoltaic project in the North Sea off the Dutch coast. The European Union covered EUR 6.8 million of the EUR 8.4 million investment from its Horizon Europe scheme. Moreover, it would become the biggest offshore floating solar facility anywhere and be integrated with the OranjeWind offshore wind farm, at the Hollandse Kust West 7 site.

Additionally, SolarDuck is set to build an offshore photovoltaic unit near Tokyo, Japan’s first following funding worth EUR15 million. Companies are slowly turning to offshore platforms to generate energy given the limited landmass we have. The ocean takes up nearly 70% of the earth’s surface area and thus allows for larger wind turbines coupled with the higher wind speeds on seas which generate greater amounts of clean energy.