Turning the tide – Optimising Europe’s Offshore Energy Future with Holistic Planning and Engagement

Introduction

To meet decarbonisation targets, Europe needs to greatly accelerate renewable energy sources, which will be sited and implemented on land and on European seas. The offshore targets based shared by the EU Member States amount to 354 GW installed offshore capacities by 2050. This massive scale up of offshore renewables deployment requires an understanding of the infrastructure needs and how the system shall be designed to use available resources in an optimised way.

Addressing these needs and gaps, RGI organised another Modellers’ Exchange Workshop entitled “Turning the tide – Optimising Europe’s Offshore Energy Future with Holistic Planning and Engagement”.

Bringing different modelling and system planning experts together, the workshop aimed at facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the strategic identification of suitable offshore areas for energy infrastructure development. Throughout the agenda, discussions also sought to explore the different technological options for optimised offshore grid deployment, taking into account time constraints.

Promoting transparency and collaboration in data and modelling efforts to enhance decision-making processes, the sessions also addressed benefits and drawbacks of offshore and onshore hydrogen production to maximise efficiency and minimise environmental impact in the energy transition.

In the upcoming months, RGI will continue its involvement into the debates related to the European grid planning process, including offshore grid networks.