Excursion Wind Farm Fryslân
Organized by: Ventolines 
Specialists of nearshore
Wind Farm Fryslân will host a visit to this largest wind farm in the world in an inland water, and present you the process of planning, permitting and construction.
During the visit to Wind Farm Fryslân we will start with a stop at the unique substation on the Afsluitdijk, where also a 3D dedicated bird radar is in operation. The substation, that collects the energy produced by the 89 wind turbines, is open to the public. Wind Farm Fryslân is expected to generate the equivalent to roughly 1.2% of the electricity consumption in the Netherlands and the energy needs of 500,000 households.
After a visit to the substation and 3D bird radar, we will board for a boat trip to the nearshore wind farm. This includes a visit to an artificial island next to the Afsluitdijk that was built as part of the wind farm. The island, 2 ha of land area and 25 ha of shallow water area, is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary. For five years, the birds, bats, fish, aquatic plants and shellfish near the reserve and inside the wind farm are being monitored. The monitoring consists of systematic counts, sampling and automated detection systems, including a 3D bird radar and bat detectors at nacelle height in the wind turbines. Ecologists will explain the monitoring methods and present the first results during the excursion.
Timetable:
Travel time one way: 1 hour
Lunch with visit to exhibition: 1 hour
Boat trip to wind farm: 2,5 hours
Radar demo: 1 hour
Click here for more info about Ventolines.
Excursion Developments of an Offshore Wind Port
Organized by: AYOP and Eneco
Port of Amsterdam and IJmuiden Seaport (AYOP) will present you the developments of a brand-new energy port that will serve as a key base of operations for the construction and maintenance of the new to be constructed wind farms located off the coast of North Holland.
After a short bus drive, you are welcomed in IJmuiden with a nice fish lunch, after which the new Energy Port will be presented to you. This new port is essential given the ambitious plans of the Dutch Government to install 27.5 GW of wind energy at sea by 2030. The Energy Port is ideally positioned for the new wind farms on the sea-side of the North Sea Canal, just before the IJmuiden lock. The port will have a surface area of more than 15 hectares and a multifunctional port terminal. The port will include a 580-metre quay, consisting of 200 meters of heavy-duty with a depth of 12.5 meters and 380 meters of standard quay (depth: 10.0 meters). The port’s location will allow it to play a major role in the (cost-)efficient construction and maintenance of (future) wind farms. It should be ready in 2025.
Furthermore, the maintenance hubs for Hollandse Kust Zuid and Hollandse Kust Noord will be shown. At this moment, the Hollandse Kust Zuid Wind Farm is being constructed by Vattenfall. This is something special, as it will be the first subsidy-free wind farm in Europe. Siemens Gamesa will supply Vattenfall with 140 of their newest 11 MW wind turbines. The Consortium CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell in the Netherlands and Eneco, have been awarded the tender to build (subsidy-free) the wind farm Hollandse Kust Noord. This farm will have an installed capacity of 759 MW, generating at least 3.3 TWh per year. This is enough renewable power to supply more than one million Dutch households with green electricity. Both wind farms should be operational in 2023 and O&M will be covered by the large network of suppliers based in IJmuiden and Amsterdam.
On top of this, the first three offshore wind farms in the Netherlands; Offshore Windpark Egmond aan Zee, Prinses Amalia and Luchterduinen were also constructed from the port of IJmuiden with support of the North Sea Canal Area. All inbound logistics of complete turbines and pre-assembly for near shore Westermeer Wind wind farm and storage and handling of nacelles, blades and towers for Windpark Fryslan, the largest near-shore farm, were arranged from the TMA Terminal in Port of Amsterdam.
Weather permitting, this excursion will be combined with a two hour offshore boat trip to see and learn more about offshore wind farm Luchterduinen with a presentation onboard by Eneco. In case of strong winds, we will have a boat trip through the seaport of IJmuiden including the largest sea lock in the world.
Timetable:
Travel time one way: 45 minutes
Lunch with presentation: 1,5 hours
Boat trip offshore or sea port: 2,5 hours
Click here for more info about AYOP.
Excursion The Offshore Expertise Center: Birds, Bats and Big Data
Organized by: Offshore Expertise Center
To achieve the goals agreed upon at the 2015 Paris climate summit, a roadmap for the construction of wind farms in the North Sea was established by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
Rijkswaterstaat collects vast amounts of data at these wind farms. Nautical, hydrological and meteorological data, as well as ecological data. These data are a necessity for both the operation of these wind farms and the monitoring and mitigation of their environmental impact. The Maritime Information Provision Servicepoint-project installs a wide variety of sensors on the decks, railings and the custom-built sensor masts at TenneT’s transformer substations.
As working offshore is ten times more expensive compared to working on land, all sensor arrangements are tested at the Offshore Expertise Center before being installed at sea. Located in Stellendam, at the foot of the Haringvlietdam, offshore conditions are simulated as closely as possible. To complete the simulation, Rijkswaterstaat designed the Offshore Expertise Center to mimic the top level of a TenneT offshore transformer station.
We happily make our unique test location, our expertise and data available to research institutes, universities and other parties. Currently, the Offshore Expertise Center collaborates with the University of Amsterdam on processing data gathered by bird radars and bat detectors at wind parks. Through computer models, these data will be used to predict bat and bird migrations.
The Offshore Expertise Center is also implemented to inform and educate. For example, through the Experience Path that circumvents the center, we illustrate how the Netherlands develop offshore wind farms in an environmentally conscious manner. We’re also planting trees, dune shrubs and wild flowers, and we’re installing insect hotels and beehives. Through photo panels, we show which information distribution systems and technologies are being used. This way, together with other stakeholders at the North Sea, we contribute to a cleaner, habitable world for future generations.
Collaboration with third parties is paramount at the Offshore Expertise Center. This not only encompasses actors at the North Sea, but also our close neighbors in Stellendam. We’re offering you the opportunity to visit some of these neighboring locations, so you may experience a complete overview of unique Dutch projects focused on safeguarding the ecological balance at Stellendam.
Haringvlietdam
Photo: Rijkswaterstaat / Harry van Reeken
The Haringvlietdam, also known as ‘Europe’s Faucet’, is part of the world-famous Dutch Delta works. This magnificent sea wall contains a battery of gigantic sluice locks with special openings to accommodate migrating fish such as eel, salmon and sea trout. The Haringvlietdam plays a key role in the reintroduction of the Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) in the River Rhine.
Seal Shelter A Seal
A Seal Foundation is a rescue and rehabilitation center for sick, weakened and orphaned seals found along the Dutch coast. Both Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina) and Grey Seals (Halichoerus Grypus) are treated here. At A Seal, visitors can observe how staff and volunteers nurse seals back to health and release them back into the wild. A Seal continually hosts varying environmentally themed exhibits. Currently, A Seal has exhibitions on seaweed farming and wind energy and data on display.
Timetable:
OEC/ Haringvlietsluizen/A SealTravel time one way: 2 hours
Visit OEC, Haringvliet sluices, A Seal: 3 hours
Click here for more info about OEC.
Excursion: The Future of Offshore Wind and Ecology Friendly Design: Maasvlakte 2
Organized by: Pondera
The North Sea boasts both an enormous potential for offshore wind, as well as a challenge to minimize the ecological impact while harvesting that energy. This is where smart innovation comes in! Our excursion will show you how the future of offshore wind could look like and provides an insight in the latest ecological measures and technology now being applied and developed.
Pondera, a Dutch renewable energy consulting firm will host a visit to Maasvlakte 2 in the Port of Rotterdam. Maasvlakte 2 is the newest development at the Rotterdam port, which was reclaimed from the sea around 2010. It is also the residence of one the world’s largest and most powerful wind turbines, GE’s Haliade-X (14 MW, 220 m rotor). Last, it is the site of Wind Farm Maasvlakte 2, in which the latest technologies on reducing impact on (offshore) bird species are being deployed, tested and refined.
We will start our tour on a boat, crossing the busiest harbor in the world, before we land again at the site of Futureland, right next to the Haliade-X. Here, Pondera together with Eneco and Bureau Waardenburg will give a presentation on the latest insights in offshore wind developments. We will focus on the point where ecology meets technology, for example elaborating on the latest radar guided bird collision protection systems used at Maasvlakte 2 project and what further measures can be taken to reduce impact on wildlife. Impacts on wildlife are an integral part of the development of wind farms (and the upcoming tenders) and require proper attention in contracting, financing, implementation and monitoring.
We will finish the tour with some Dutch delights that we will enjoy on the journey back to Egmond. Excited?
Timetable:
Travel time one way: 2 hours
Boat trip through Port of Rotterdam: 2 hours
Presentation Wind Farm Tweede Maasvlakte: 1 hour
Join our tour and
Click here for more info about Pondera.