Coordinated Development of Hybrid Offshore Assets (CORDOBA)
The CORDOBA research project aims to support Flemish companies in developing further unique knowledge regarding to the planning, installation, and operation of wind turbines, especially offshore wind turbines.
Elicio, Marlinks, Yuso, Enersynt, KU Leuven in close partnership with the Blauwe Cluster
Budget: € 1.476.433
Grant: € 1.041.521
With a wind capacity of 4,890 MWp, Belgium is one of the world leaders in terms of installed megawatts per capita of wind energy. Various Belgian and Flemish companies have developed unique know-how over the past decades with regard to the planning, installation, and operation of wind turbines, especially offshore wind turbines.
It is even assumed that the offshore wind capacity will increase by 5,000 MWp by the end of the decade.
In the media, Federal Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten also mentioned a possible additional cable connection or interconnector to Denmark, for which a study is now underway.
Objectives
Given the importance of this branch of industry for Flanders, De Blauwe Cluster, together with the companies Elicio, Marlinks, Yuso, and Enersynt, launched a research project, in 2021, on hybrid offshore wind farms, called CORDOBA. This project is being carried out in close cooperation with the Catholic University of Leuven and Flux50.
Hybrid offshore wind farms allow bringing together production from offshore wind with direct coupling to interconnectors, markets, and integrated flexibility. The timing of this project is of great importance, as regulations are being drafted today at different levels that will apply to these hybrid offshore wind farms within five to ten years.
Due to the decreased installation costs for wind energy, but also because electricity itself is worth more and more, most of these new parks will be installed without subsidies. For investment security, it is therefore important that the design, planning, and revenue streams from these wind farms are properly identified so that the most cost-effective choices can be made. The future hybrid offshore wind farms in Belgium will not only have to produce energy but also increasingly have to provide for their own balance in order not to overburden the high-voltage grid in the event of extreme wind or abnormal forecasts. In this way, an optimal balance can be pursued within the energy triad of security of supply-affordability-environmentally friendly, which is essential in such long-term decisions.
Impact
The CORDOBA research project aims to support Flemish companies such as Elicio, Marlinks, Yuso, and Enersynt that wish to develop further unique knowledge. VLAIO has allocated a total of 1.042 MEUR to all partners out of a total budget of 1.476 MEUR. The consortium itself expects to eventually employ 26 full-time employees based on the developed knowledge and also to attract investments of 23 MEUR in our country.