A framework to identify offshore spatial trade-offs in different space allocation options for Offshore Wind Farms, as part of the North Sea Offshore Grid

An efficient, well-balanced North Sea Offshore Grid (NSOG) requires an area-based approach for large-scale OWF deployment. However, the essential coordination of environmental, spatial and energy planning at a basin scale is lacking. This study offers a systematic approach for unidirectional coupling of spatially explicit offshore development scenarios potentials(km2), with an integrated energy system model, IESA-NS. Under the NSOG concept, we calculate spatial potentials for 8 predefined energy hubs(clusters). By combining the potential spatial availability, deployment and energy system costs(IESA-NS) and the risk management options (OWFs/fisheries/marine protected areas-MPA), we unfold trade-offs emerging in the planning of the future NSOG. Hence, a lower-cost NSOG, in reaching the North Sea 2050 energy targets, depends on integrated, collaborative space management, fast deployment of fixed-bottom OWFs by 2030(3.5 times the current capacity) and multi-use with static gear fisheries (Cluster 3) and MPAs (Cluster 7). Alternatively, a higher-cost NSOG with lower impacts on the MPAs and fisheries, is highly dependent on floating OWFs (32.6GWs by 2030), from 2 British NSOG clusters. In both cases, floating OWFs are essential, the effective use of cluster space requires basin-scale collaboration (Cluster 7-Dogger Bank), and the untapped potential of Cluster 8(floating OWFs) can lower the pressure on other NSOG clusters.