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Work packages

HybridLabs will help accelerate the Dutch transition to carbon neutrality, whilst supporting Dutch companies and knowledge institutes in the field. With the nation-wide and unique infrastructure made of both lab-scale facilities and offshore field labs that will be created during the project, we will bridge the knowledge gap between lab-scale and full-scale testing, increase collaboration across fields, and ultimately boost the pace of deployment of offshore renewables.
To achieve this gamechanger, we work with six work packages that tackle offshore renewables development
from all sides and that are specifically designed to enhance impact.

WP1
Hybrid research and testing infrastructure

  • Addresses the aim to build the foundation for a nation-wide hybrid testing infrastructure targeted at offshore and floating renewables, their logistics, their interaction with the surrounding ecosystem, and their integration to the grid. The lab-scale testing of these aspects relies on several different facilities: wind labs, wave-current labs, geotechnical labs, structural labs, environmental labs, power and system integration labs, logistics labs, offshore demonstration labs.
  • Output 1. Hybrid research and testing infrastructure that facilitates cooperation and the integration of disciplines. The basis for the scientific advancements in Outputs 2 and 3 is the hybrid research and testing infrastructure which allows – through a unique breath of facilities and data – this research to take place. This hybrid research and testing infrastructure will be continuously improved upon, even after the project end.

WP2
Research and Modelling
for hybrid labs

  • Addresses the aim to develop innovative methods and algorithms to enhance the accuracy of hybrid testing and virtually connect the individual facilities together. The data- and physics-driven methods developed and used here will be the glue between the different facilities and the offshore demonstration sites. This will be done through data-enhanced facilities, future-proof models, virtual force sensing,
  • Output 2. Scientific advancements in hybrid testing research. The fundamental research into data-driven approaches, deep-learning, and virtual sensing, all combined with a wide range of facilities (Output 1) will advance hybrid testing to unprecedented accuracy, reliability, and repeatability.

WP3
Design, testing and upscaling of innovations

  • The aim of this WP is to is to develop a series of innovations tested using the infrastructure built in WP1-2. The innovations will span a wide range of disciplines to enhance the performance of offshore renewable technologies (from component to grid integration), accelerate their deployment, and support the offshore ecological and food transitions. The methodology will include: nature/food-inclusive innovations, bio-inspired control of offshore (floating) wind turbines, motion and load control during floating-to-fixed and floating-to-floating installation, Installation of offshore foundation systems, health, safety, and endurance of offshore renewable structures, dynamics of floating solar technologies under combined wind and wave loads, resilience assessment of integrated offshore-onshore energy systems.
  • Output 3. Innovations in components, systems, monitoring and control techniques for offshore renewables. Next to the fundamental research regarding hybrid testing, we will research, develop, and test innovations for offshore renewables and their logistics. These innovations will be necessary to speed up the pace of development of offshore renewables.

WP4
Impact enhancing research

  • The aim is to enhance long-lasting and positive impact of the HybridLabs’s research developments from different points of view: technical, ecological, societal, and legal. As such, it will de-risk the proposed innovations. To this end, an environmental impact assessment, an adequate legal and regulatory frameworks, the supply chain readiness, the sufficient workforce for the sector and the associated bottlenecks, and the support in the transition of workers will be addressed.
  • Output 4. Impact enhancing insights. To reach the desired impact, the project must also achieve insights into the following aspects. (1) Financial and regulatory frameworks for large-scale floating renewable farms, (2) the ecological effects of floating offshore renewables, (3) the supply chain requirements, (4) how to increase stakeholders’ understanding of the value chain of offshore renewables

WP5
Knowledge Utilisation and dissemination

  • The aim is to ensure proper dissemination and exploitation of the project results with long-term impact beyond the project end. It will also analyse the social aspects of stakeholders’ engagement. The following perspectives will be addressed: development of a digital dashboard for citizen science, public engagement and outreach, communication to a wide range of stakeholders and policy makers, strategic developments in Ireland.
  • Output 5. Workshops, outreach, and embedding in (applied) university education and ROCs to increase workforce. Increasing the technical and non-technical workforce is imperative to accelerating the pace of deployment of offshore renewables. The HybridLabs infrastructure will serve as a unique opportunity to train the next generation of workers and provide them with the skills necessary to install the offshore renewables of the future.

WP6
Project management

  • Aims is to ensure proper project management, deliverables, reporting, and communication towards NWO, to successfully achieve all project objectives. Throughout the project’s duration, the Project Management Team is responsible for monitoring its implementation, oversee project progress, ensuring alignment with defined objectives and guidelines. Additionally, serve as a connecting link between consortium partners, and the Project Advisory Committee, resolving administrative issues and ensuring seamless communication.
  • Output 6. Effective and wide dissemination to stakeholder groups and society. To make stakeholders aware of the outcomes of HybridLabs, to involve them in future perspectives scenarios, and to increase societal support for the development of offshore renewables, the project must be widely disseminated. We will actively engage citizens in the research tasks, following the principles of citizen science.

Accelerating innovations in offshore renewables through data-driven hybrid labs.

@2024 HybridLabs