Soon floating solar panels for Ostend coast

The test installation consists of a floating float on which eight solar panels will be placed. Within a few weeks, the prototype will be towed from the Port of Ostend to the offshore test zone of POM West-Vlaanderen, just off the coast of Ostend. There the installation will be tested for a year. During that period, the main aim is to check whether the solar panels provide the energy that is expected of them. But the impact of the weather, wind, salt water and waves will also be investigated.

Supplement to offshore wind turbines

Once the solar panels pass the test, the consortium – consisting of Jan De Nul, Deme and Tractebel – will start building larger floats with hundreds of solar panels in 2024. If everything goes according to plan, these structures can be placed between the wind farms in 2025. In this way, the solar panels are a perfect addition to the wind turbines at sea. For example, during calmer periods there is generally more sun, and vice versa.

The federal government is now investing two million in the pilot project, and another ten million later.