Energies Media
In the Dutch North Sea, 47 species colonized 18 offshore solar floats, including 12 non-native ones.
Available land for renewable energy growth is becoming scarcer across the world.
To meet both global power demand and climate targets, the green transition is rapidly increasing offshore.
However, the addition of more new artificial structures in marine environments is triggering ecological changes.
Will there be consequences following these quick marine transformations, and what will they be?
Global electricity consumption is projected to double by 2050.
Digitization and industrial electrification are the primary drivers of this increase.
This complicates the world’s attempts to meet ambitious climate mandates.
Presently, power usage outpaces the rate at which new green generation is deployed.
As a result, grids worldwide are struggling to prevent electricity fluctuations and potential blackouts.
Utilities continuously rely on fossil fuels to stabilize grids, resulting in high emissions.
To break this cycle, clean power generation must rapidly scale.
However, the leading sources, wind and solar, require vast land for installation.
Suitable land is becoming scarce globally, creating competition with other sectors and onshore ecosystems.
Now, nations such as the Netherlands are addressing these spatial limitations by turning to offshore infrastructure.
While most are deploying offshore turbines, the Dutch North Sea has become a testing ground for offshore solar panels.
The Dutch are aiming for gigawatt-scale integration in the next decade.
While floating solar may not be new, floating arrays have been limited to reservoirs and lakes.
Naturally, concerns followed about the impact on natural water bodies onshore.
Consequently, some nations decided to take solar systems to the sea.
In the Dutch North Sea, deploying these floats offers distinct benefits.
Beyond using open-water spaces instead of valuable land, they can also be co-located with existing offshore wind farms.
This co-location saves money, as the systems can share grid connection cables.
Furthermore, the cooler ocean air prevents panel overheating, boosting efficiency.
Additionally, the open sea reflects more sunlight, further increasing output.
However, these large artificial structures over the ocean also raise environmental concerns.
The structures can alter the dynamics of the surface beneath, hence possibly affecting the behavior of marine wildlife.
To investigate potential environmental shifts, researchers examined the North Sea’s first offshore solar project.
Submerged parts of 18 floaters were scraped for samples, revealing surprising findings.
A research team from Wageningen Marine Research conducted the study.
The solar float farm is located at the Offshore Test Site, 7.5 miles off the coast of The Hague.
The quantitative samples enabled the analysis of organisms attached to the structural surfaces.
In total, 47 different species were identified, including 12 non-native ones.
The most abundant group in population numbers was arthropods, more specifically small amphipods. They are of the genus Jassa.
Mollusks accounted for the biggest share of total biomass, especially blue mussels.
Other species in the community included:
The non-native species had higher individual counts than local ones, and contributed less to biomass.
Some of these non-indigenous species included:
The findings demonstrate that offshore floating solar functions similarly to other offshore structures.
More specifically, they function as ecological drivers that facilitate species dispersion across the North Sea.
As the need for rapid offshore infrastructure deployment increases, it is vital that developers understand the potential environmental consequences.
Since these solar floats transform into artificial reefs so quickly, further monitoring will be required to determine long-term ecosystem impacts.
Furthermore, without intervention, this rapid biofouling adds significant additional weight to the platforms.
Ultimately, to prevent potential structural damage, developers must learn to maintain these platforms without disrupting wildlife.
To review the findings, please visit the APA CITE: Mavraki, N., Bos, O. G., van der Weide, B., Bittner, O., Vlaswinkel, B. M., Nalmpanti, M., & Coolen, J. W. (2025). Inventory of the biofouling community on the first offshore solar energy farm in the North Sea. Journal of Sea Research, 102627.
Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.
Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.
Anke Maree is a writer with a clear and engaging editorial style. Her work focuses on making complex topics accessible, informative, and relevant for readers across different areas of interest.

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