HybridLabs - Accelerating Dutch innovations in offshore renewables through data-driven hybrid labs

The urgency to transform the energy system in the Netherlands is clear, both for tackling the climate crisis and for gaining energy independence from foreign oil and gas. But the targets set to achieve a carbon-neutral economy are huge. The Netherlands aims for 70GW of offshore wind energy by 2050, whilst the current installed capacity of offshore wind in the Dutch North Sea is about 3GW. Achieving these targets - in these timeframes - will only be possible if the pace of installation of these technologies is accelerated and if technological solutions that embrace the three transitions (energy, food, nature) in the North Sea are developed.

The project aims at facilitating a faster deployment of offshore renewables by addressing key questions related to the floating installation of fixed and floating offshore renewables, and developing groundbreaking innovations in the monitoring, control, and design of offshore renewables and their logistics. These innovations will be unlocked through nation-wide infrastructure of hybrid experimental facilities, simulators, and offshore field labs, learning from one another, through data- and model- driven approaches.

The project will deliver:
- a unique (both in scale and breadth) network of hybrid testing facilities and simulators, assimilating offshore data, that provide better fundamental understanding of the behavior of offshore structures under dynamic loading and their surrounding ecosystem,
- new sensing, control and design strategies for floating installation techniques and nature-strengthening offshore renewables,
- guidelines to lift non-technical barriers for implementation, through supply chain readiness, enabling legal frameworks, and support for workers in transition.

We will engage with various stakeholders, through e.g. citizen science activities, serious games for policy makers, and outreach. We will also set-up a strategic Dutch-Irish hub to act as springboard for Dutch stakeholders to operate in a prime market for floating wind energy (Irish West Atlantic Coast).