SolarDuck and RWE successfully deploy floating solar pilot vessel Merganser offshore the Dutch coast

Dutch-Norwegian company SolarDuck has announced that, with support from RWE, it has successfully installed an offshore floating photovoltaic (OFPV) installation called Merganser.

The aim of the pilot project is to test and demonstrate structural, mooring and electrical designs and to gain knowledge on the manufacturing, assembly, offshore installation and maintenance methods necessary for large-scale commercial deployment of OFPV.

The peak capacity of the Merganser power plant is 0.5 megawatts (MWp). The coral reef is located in the Dutch North Sea, about 12 kilometers off the coast of Scheveningen.

The scalable concept consists of six interconnected platforms that can withstand extreme sea conditions. The floating platforms were successfully connected to the mooring system in a water depth of 20 meters. RWE will continue to provide its offshore expertise and technical support for the pilot project.

Over the next two years, the Merganser vessel will be monitored remotely by more than 180 sensors installed to monitor structural loads, joint and mooring loads, and electrical parameters, among other important performance criteria.

In this context, Deltares – an independent Dutch institute for applied research – will support a large-scale campaign to monitor the environmental impact of OFPV.