Offshore Transnational Grids In Europe: The North Sea Transnational Grid Research Project In Relation To Other Research Initiatives

The development of transnational offshore grids will play a major part in the grid integration of large-scale offshore wind power. Up to now, such an infrastructure has never been built and, when finished, it will probably consist of a combination of different transmission technologies. Therefore, the effects of these grids on the power system must be studied thoroughlyThe North Sea transnational grid research project intends to study technical and economic aspects regarding the development of an electrical network in the North Sea. It aims to provide a comprehensive technical reference for policy makers in the Netherlands.This paper describes the objectives of the North Sea trans national grid research project and the approaches to be used. Moreover, an overview of other ongoing or recently finished research projects regarding transnational offshore grids in Europe will be provided. These are compared to the North Sea transnational grid project by assessing where the technical economic focus lies, the time horizons and methods used.