Pondera and SolarDuck, a key player in the floating offshore solar market, signed a memorandum of understanding detailing the development of 555 MWp of offshore solar projects over the coming years. The companies plan to develop these projects between 2023 and 2025. Near term projects shall be located in the Netherlands, while those further into the future shall be located in South-East Asia.
While both companies have their headquarters in the Netherlands, they have a shared global ambition to make a tangible difference in climate change and contributing to global sustainable energy goals. Pondera has been involved in more than 10GW of renewable energy projects, of which over 3 GW is operational and another 3 GW under construction. The company has seen steep growth over the past years, and is gearing up to become a key player in the South-East Asian market. SolarDuck was founded by a group of likeminded maritime and energy professionals, who found a way to generate solar power offshore at utility scale. Their patented and certified technology is robust, scalable, and able to withstand (coastal) sea conditions and hurricane force winds. This technology allows for solar energy to be generated at sea, which opens a new and very promising market.
The companies plan to develop projects using this technology to deliver solar energy to cities and regions for whom solar is the cheapest renewable energy source, but that normally have trouble accessing this renewable energy source due to land scarcity constraints. SolarDuck technology allows these communities and businesses to obtain clean energy, while safeguarding competitive energy pricing. In 2023, the parties aim to develop 5 MWp. By the end of 2025, the companies aim to have developed a total of 555 MWp. The energy produced shall be used to power communities and local business. In South-East Asia, one 50 MW plant would be sufficient to power 25.000 households.
Following the signing of the MoU, the companies have started scouting appropriate areas to place the aforementioned projects. “I am excited about our cooperation, and the scale of our combined projects”, says SolarDuck CEO Koen Burgers. “In Pondera, we found a partner who not only shares our global ambitions, but also the drive to make these plans become reality. They have a long and impressive track record which we intend to broaden with the addition of Offshore Floating Solar.”
Pondera CEO Hans Rijntalder is equally excited: ”The floating offshore solar market is very promising, and within that market SolarDuck has developed an interesting technological platform for the countries we are active in. We have watched SolarDuck scale up over the last year, and we are very impressed with their accomplishments so far. Their technology is promising – they received the world’s first certification for offshore floating solar by Bureau Veritas – and I see interesting opportunities for its application in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. From our offices in these two countries we are able to support our development activities directly on location.”
