13 Jan 2017

Supporting offshore wind energy development in the Netherlands with digital metocean database

Towards 4,500MW offshore wind power in 2023

The 2013 Dutch Energy Agreement initiated the country’s goal to increase its offshore wind capacity from 1,000MW to 4,500MW by 2023. Part of this engagement involves the development of Hollandse Kust (zuid) and (noord) offshore wind farm zones.

Offshore wind park Egmond aan Zee in the Netherlands. Reproduced with courtesy of RVO.nl.

Accurate and reliable metocean data

DHI is expanding our services within the offshore wind industry by setting new standards in the provision of accurate, reliable and high-quality metocean data. The delivery includes:

  • a comprehensive report describing the methodology and advanced methods used; and
  • a digital database which provides easy access to metocean data

The results are applicable for the design, maintenance and operation of offshore wind farms, inter array cables, substations and their support structures – and will benefit companies submitting bids to develop projects in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.

The roadmap towards 4,500 MW offshore wind power in the Netherlands. The yellow areas are future wind farms. The areas in dark blue are the already existing offshore wind farms.

A user-friendly database
The digital database includes metocean data of Hollandse Kust (zuid) and (noord), derived from extensive hydrodynamic and wave modelling using state-of-the-art analysis methods covering the period 1979-2016 (+37 years).

We challenged DHI to provide a world-class metocean database to allow developers to optimise their designs in the tender stage. DHI exceeded our expectations.” Ben de Sonneville, Senior Consultant, BLIX Consultancy BV, On behalf of the client RVO.nl

Users can access the modelling data and the analysis results through a user-friendly interface. Pre-processed data such as extreme metocean conditions, joint-probabilities, associated periods, tidal analysis and fatigue data are available at any given element within the database area. Various types of analysis (rose, scatter diagrams, occurrence tables, persistence, and so on) will be available concurrently through the database software which is based on MIKE OPERATIONS technology.

Left: The North Atlantic regional model domain and bathymetry; Right: The database area (outer red line) shown together with Hollandse Kust (zuid) and Hollandse Kust (Noord) offshore wind farms. © DHI

Client
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) is responsible for the provision of site data for the Dutch wind farm zones. RVO.nl has increased its emphasis on providing more complete and high-quality site data compared to the process for the Borssele tenders. RVO.nl, supported by BLIX Consultancy, contracted DHI for the metocean study.