Offshore test sites form the missing step between lab and full-scale deployment at sea. They offer a controlled but realistic environment where new technologies can be exposed to real waves, currents, wind, salt and marine life.
Offshore test sites help to:
- Bridge prototype and practice, to see if what works in the lab also works at sea.
- Generate credible data, which can be important information for regulators, insurers and investors.
- Speed up learning through testing, measuring, adapting and improving in real conditions.
- Support multi-use at sea, by being able to combine energy, nature, food and remote operations safely in one area.
They are not only proving grounds for technology, but also for new ways of sharing space at sea.
The Offshore Test Site Scheveningen
The Offshore Test Site (OTS) Scheveningen is such a test facility with several unique characteristics:
- 6 km² zone, fully exposed to North Sea conditions
- Suitable for a wide variety of innovations across four domains:
- Energy
- Nature
- Food
- Remote
- Close to port and city and easy access from Scheveningen harbour with a growing innovative network
By offering a dedicated patch of sea for safe experimentation, the Offshore Test Site Scheveningen helps innovators test faster, learn more and scale more responsibly, and brings the vision of a multi-use, sustainable North Sea a step closer to reality.