In the coming years, it won’t be unusual to look out to sea and see veritable “technology islands” floating on the horizon, as is the case now. However, it’s worth noting that these aren’t oil platforms, but rather something much cleaner, quieter, and more ambitious: gigantic solar power plants floating offshore. This is because, instead of occupying agricultural land or urban rooftops, a new generation of energy is emerging directly from the water, literally. This is a bold engineering feat that could transform the seas into strategic allies in the race for clean energy.
Will floating solar conquer the seas or sink under the pressure of the waves?
To better understand this, imagine a floating solar platform the size of 14 football fields. Now, think about it operating offshore, facing waves of up to 8 meters, constant winds, and intense salinity, all without losing efficiency. According to Saipem to Offshore Energy:
“XolarSurf represents a new frontier in floating solar energy, and can be installed anywhere coastal or offshore, even in harsh environmental conditions. It offers an ideal solution for hybrid projects, such as offshore wind farms, both fixed and floating.”
This technology stands out for several reasons, including: it eliminates the need to occupy valuable land; it leverages existing offshore structures, such as wind turbines; it can be scaled up massively, reducing production costs; and the design allows the panels to be moved, reused, or expanded according to energy demand.
Norway just wrote the rulebook: will floating solar now outshine offshore wind?
And which country made all this possible? We’re talking about Norway, which has just released the first official “instruction manual” for installing floating solar power plants offshore. This guide was produced by DNV, a global leader in technical certification, based on a project by the Norwegian company Moss Maritime. This document is even more than a technical tutorial. It serves as a security seal, validating that the technology can be installed reliably, even in the rough waters of the North Sea. It covers the following points:
- Safe mooring strategies
- Resistance to waves, winds, and currents
- Reduction in installation failures
- Sharing infrastructure with floating wind turbines
“Compared to wind turbines, solar systems are simpler, cheaper to build, and easier to scale,” says Alexander Minge Thøgersen, VP of Moss Maritime. So much so that some people around the world are already saying goodbye to wind power after this technological innovation. Now, considering who will benefit most, we can even say the entire world, but we separate two main groups:
- Aquaculture and isolated communities: Offshore fish farms, for example, require constant power, but are far from the coast and traditional infrastructure. XolarSurf provides clean energy to remote locations, with consumption ranging from 4 to 715 MWh per year.
- Worldwide: According to HTF Market Intelligence, the global offshore solar energy market is expected to grow from US$85 billion to over US$268 billion by 2029.
The sun sets on land-based solar: Is the ocean our next power grid?
We need to keep in mind that what Norway has done isn’t just launching a new technology. It’s actually paving a reliable path for the entire world to follow. The creation of the DNV technical manual means other countries now have a safe model to replicate. Furthermore, by utilizing existing structures (such as wind turbine power export cables), deployment costs drop dramatically.
This makes the model viable even for developing countries. The next energy revolution won’t just happen on rooftops or deserts, but also on the high seas. And perhaps the next time you look at the ocean, you’ll see not just waves, but the future shining in the sunlight. That’s why it’s worth mentioning this other eye-catching invention: floating hybrid solar panels.
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