Offshore Solar Farm Ready for Tow Out to Hollandse Kust Noord Wind Project

What is described as the “world’s first” offshore solar farm integrated within a wind farm has completed assembly at the Port of Amsterdam and is ready for deployment at the Hollandse Kust Noord (HKN) offshore wind farm in the North Sea.

Dutch company Oceans of Energy assembled the floating solar farm in three days. The system will be towed 18.5 kilometres offshore this summer to be installed at the HKN site, operated by CrossWind, a joint venture (JV) between Shell and Eneco.

According to Oceans of Energy, the project uses prefabricated floating solar units designed for offshore conditions and is seen as a step toward scaling hybrid wind-solar developments.

A ceremony to mark the assembly completion and name the platform “Nymphaea Aurora” was recently held at the Port of Amsterdam.

“The innovation program of the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm paves the way for key technologies that may further enhance offshore wind projects,” said Maria Kalogera, Innovations Manager, CrossWind. 

“The offshore solar scope is an exciting innovation that can contribute to more renewable energy production from the same site.”

Nymphaea Aurora, named after a native European water lily, floats at water level – a design that Oceans of Energy says allows large-scale deployment with minimal material use.

“The Oceans of Energy offshore solar farm floats in the sea at water level, like a waterlily, therefore we have named it ‘Nymphaea Aurora’,” said Allard van Hoeken, Founder & CEO, Oceans of Energy. 

“Nymphaea is the family name for water lilies, which are nature’s solar collectors, floating at water-level, just like our technology. Large scale water-level offshore structures is something novel, it is the key innovation for technological and economical breakthrough of offshore solar worldwide. It allows scaling up to large sizes, with minimum material usage. Just like waterlilies can do.”

The Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth is monitoring the project to assess the potential of combining offshore solar with wind to reduce emissions and support industrial development in the Netherlands.

“The Netherlands is a frontrunner in offshore solar energy. Thanks to its unique combination of maritime expertise, innovative strength, and public-private partnerships, Dutch companies like Oceans of Energy are the first to bring groundbreaking technologies like offshore solar to open sea. This project not only marks a world first but also represents significant export potential. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are committed to strengthening and expanding our leading position internationally,” said Rogier van Tooren, International Enterprise Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dorine Bosman, Chief Investment Officer at the Port of Amsterdam, said the project underlines the port’s role in supporting new energy technologies.

“The Port of Amsterdam is proud to host innovations which have the potential to accelerate the energy transition, such as the Oceans of Energy floating solar concept. We are happy to see the project now move towards offshore production, as the next step towards industrial scale production,” Bosman said.

CrossWind’s Hollandse Kust Noord project is a 759 MW offshore wind farm that will use new technologies and engineering solutions to improve the flexibility of the offshore wind projects. Once constructed, the offshore wind farm is expected to generate at least 3.3 TWh of clean energy per year.

Oceans of Energy was awarded the contract to install and operate the offshore solar farm within the HKN wind park in April 2023. The first floating units arrived at the Port of Amsterdam in October 2024. In May 2025, the dynamic subsea export cable was tested and delivered, and by the end of the same month, offshore anchoring works were completed.