Offshore renewable energy for a clean European energy transition

We seek for a comprehensive project aimed at advancing the development and integration of offshore renewable energy technologies across Europe. Given the continent’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, optimising energy systems through advanced offshore renewable energy sources is both timely and essential. We seek to enhance energy security, reduce carbon emissions, and facilitate the transition towards a sustainable energy future.

Offshore energy hubs are emerging. Such hubs are usually proposed to (1) produce winder power and  (2) produce green hydrogen offshore and supply onshore energy demand. However, how to properly model offshore energy hubs in terms of physics and cost models are not sufficiently studied in literature. More effort may be needed to properly evaluate the value and feasibility of offshore energy hubs. We are interested in offshore energy hubs in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and other offshore regions with potentials for offshore energy hubs.

Offshore wind is a critical renewable energy resource and an important part of an offshore energy hub. We also aim to investigate offshore wind’s role in a carbon neutral European energy system transition.

Offshore energy system integration can be pivotal for future energy system. This is because European offshore system such as the North Sea area has been an important region for oil and gas production. With a rapid development of offshore renewables in  such a region, the function of it may transition from supplying oil and gas to supplying clean offshore energy. However, when and how to achieve such transition needs scientific investigation.