The FarmConners project supports the implementation and industrialisation of Wind Farm Control (WFC) as an additional feature for the development and operation of wind power plants. It brings together actors in all relevant fields connected with the market uptake of WFC: research institutes, industry and certification agencies. FarmConners will coordinate a reliable assessment of the WFC possibilities, promising more green power from existing and upcoming assets for the price of a software update. WFC technology brings a collaborative approach to wind power plant design and operation, mitigating the losses due to turbine-turbine interaction within the plant. Accordingly, it promises an increase in power production and a decrease in structural loads while providing better integration of wind power in the grid. Additionally, it enables better revenue management, especially for the upcoming flexible electricity markets, making wind power “market fit”, which in turn decreases the project cost and increases the share of the leading green power source. FarmConners will provide a unique platform for the marketability of this feature; bringing the state-of-the-art achievements, ongoing projects and industrial interest together to remove barriers for commercial implementation of WFC.

Efficient and effective use of offshore renewables is pivotal in the transition of the EU to become a net-zero economy in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. EU-SCORES will unlock the large-scale potential of the roll-out of offshore renewable energy in multi-source parks across different European sea basins through two highly comprehensive and impactful demonstrations: (1) An offshore solar PV system in Belgium co-located with a bottom fixed windfarm and; (2) A wave energy array in Portugal co-located with a floating wind farm. The multi-source demonstrations in EU-SCORES will showcase the benefits of a continuous power output harnessing the complementarity between wind, sun and waves as it leads to a more resilient and stable power system, higher capacity factors and a lower total cost per MWh. These aspects will also improve the business case for the production of green hydrogen within these parks. The full-scale demonstrations will prove how the increased power output and capacity installed per km2 will reduce the amount of marine space needed, thereby leaving more space for aquaculture, fisheries, shipping routes and environmentally protected zones. Additional benefits attained by co-using critical electrical infrastructures and exploring advanced operation and maintenance methodologies supported by innovative autonomous systems will further lower the costs per MWh. The involvement of major project developers and utility companies (EDP, EGP, SBE, RWE, EnBW, Eneco, OceanWinds, and Parkwind) will ensure an accelerated path towards commercialisation of these innovative parks. Altogether, through a highly competent, skilled and motivated consortium EU-SCORES will pave the way for bankable multi-source parks including wind, wave and floating solar systems across different European sea basins by 2025, thereby supporting the stability and resilience of the European energy system, while considering sustainability, local stakeholders and existing ecosystems.