The impact of large-scale offshore electricity transmission: The European project OffshoreGrid

OffshoreGrid is the first techno-economic study that carries out an in-depth analysis of how to build a cost-efficient grid in the North and Baltic Sea. The project investigated the most beneficial wind farm connection concepts for 126 GW in 321 offshore wind farms as expected for the year 2030. Based on this two highly efficient offshore grid designs were developed with modular building stones such as direct interconnectors, hub-to-hub connections, Tee-in solutions. It was shown that the final meshed grid design allows bringing offshore wind online in a cost efficient way while enhancing European electricity trade. This results in significant net benefits within the European power system. The OffshoreGrid project results are a practical blueprint for policymakers, developers and transmission grid operators, to plan and design a meshed offshore grid. The analysis of costs and benefits of different configurations addressed in this study will help policy makers and regulators anticipate developments and provide incentives that trigger the necessary investments at the right time. OffshoreGrid was carried out from 2009 to 2011. 3E coordinated the project consortium consisting of Senergy Econnect, SINTEF, dena, EWEA, For Wind, EC BREC IEO, NTUA.