New MOOI-tender: Focus on system solutions for integration of large scale renewable electricity production

Status of the subsidy

The next round of the MOOI scheme (subsidy scheme for Mission-oriented Research, Development and Innovation) will open on 1 April 2022. This was recently published in the Government Gazette  (Staatscourant). Various missions, which are linked to the MOOI scheme, have been identified in the Climate Agreement. This MOOI round for Mission A of the Climate Agreement (“Electricity”) focuses on innovations for the generation of sustainable electricity that suit the specific environment at sea and on land. For the offshore energy part, these are the wind energy areas and floating solar parks in the North Sea.

Objective

The objective of the 'Electricity' component within the MOOI subsidy module is to stimulate research and development projects for these innovation themes that lead to a first application within 10 years (by 2032 at the latest). The innovations must contribute to an affordable, reliable, clean and safe energy supply. In addition, the environmental quality of the North Sea and rural areas and enabling shared use are important.

The subsidy scheme focuses on two innovation themes:

1. Innovations as an integral part of offshore wind energy areas.
2. Innovations for floating solar parks in the North Sea.

These are explained as follows:

Innovation theme 1: Innovations as an integral part of offshore wind energy areas

A wind energy area, in any case, includes wind turbines for the production of electricity, the electrical network and a connection to the electricity grid. In addition, a wind energy area may also include floating solar panels for electricity production, electricity storage, electricity-to-gas conversion plants, gas pipelines, and gas storage.

The value chain includes the installation, operation and decommissioning of the offshore renewable energy park. The manner of design, construction and operation of the wind farm contributes to the preservation and, if possible, strengthening of the ecosystem of the North Sea and, under certain conditions, offers scope for forms of shared use such as passive fishing and aquaculture. The aim is to reduce the wind farm's footprint in terms of CO2 and nitrogen emissions and the use of materials.

Innovation theme 2: Innovations for floating solar parks in the North Sea

Innovation theme 2 is about stand-alone floating solar parks in the North Sea. A floating solar farm includes the system for the production of renewable electricity and solutions for reducing costs for various boundary conditions. Such innovations can be making the floating installation suitable for the weather influences, system lifespan and a solution for connecting to the electricity grid.

For both innovation themes, the following conditions apply in order to be able to score a pass:

• Affordability: reduction of the generation, system and social costs of energy production; and
• Reliability: the operational reliability of a wind energy area and the flexibility and fit of renewable energy in the energy system are increased.

In addition, the application should at least pay attention to each of the following aspects. In addition, an innovation project within this theme can score higher on the ranking criterion 'Contribution to the objective' if it also actively contributes to:

• Reducing environmental pressure and making more efficient use of raw materials: active efforts are made to reduce the use of materials (particularly primary and scarce raw materials) and to increase the reuse of materials, lifespan, releasability, reusability, renewability and adaptivity;
• Protecting and/or promoting ecology: the ecosystem, including the biodiversity and water quality of the North Sea, is protected and, if possible, strengthened;
• Facilitating multiple use of space: shared use within the wind farm is facilitated so that the available space in the Netherlands is used optimally; and/or
• Improving safety: the physical safety of the personnel during work is improved and the cyber security of the energy system is strengthened.

For Research and Development directions for both innovation themes, we refer to point 1. Mission A: Electricity in Appendix A of the regulation. (in Dutch)

In this round, too, other project activities within the eligible themes are eligible (up to a maximum of 50%) as long as they contribute to the objective. Examples include knowledge dissemination or education and training activities.

Characteristics

Please note that in case of conflict with the official tender, the official information found on the RVO website is leading.

Find out more about the MOOI subsidy scheme on the RVO website. (in Dutch)