First project for BlueLabs - MARIN’s specialist floating energy facility
Conference/JournalMARIN Report 148
Date10 Sep 2026
This spring MARIN proudly opened BlueLabs, its unique facility for testing the next generation of floating offshore wind turbines and floating solar.
As part of the Scalewind Joint Industry Project, BlueLabs was used for the first time to test a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT). This milestone marks a significant step towards advancing the design and validation of nextgeneration floating wind technology.
To meet ever-increasing renewable energy demands, floating offshore wind turbines and floating solar energy farms are increasing in size. As a result, the complex demands on controlled laboratory tests move beyond the current state-of-the-art wave basin facilities. To support this trend, MARIN developed an advanced test laboratory to upgrade its existing Offshore Basin.
As part of the Scalewind Joint Industry Project, BlueLabs was used for the first time to test a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT). This milestone marks a significant step towards advancing the design and validation of nextgeneration floating wind technology.
To meet ever-increasing renewable energy demands, floating offshore wind turbines and floating solar energy farms are increasing in size. As a result, the complex demands on controlled laboratory tests move beyond the current state-of-the-art wave basin facilities. To support this trend, MARIN developed an advanced test laboratory to upgrade its existing Offshore Basin.
Contact
Erik-Jan de Ridder
senior project manager | team leader
William Otto
senior project manager
Large-scale floating solar farms & next generation turbines
Within this test facility, large-scale, lightweight floating solar energy farms and the next generation of floating wind turbines of 20MW+ can be tested in combined wind, waves and current conditions. For this purpose, a new modular wind generation system was developed alongside a wireless measurement system, an optical motion tracking system, and a dedicated stock model for these 20MW+ wind turbines.
Scalewind JIP floater in the new BlueLabs setup
BLUELABS DEMO
BlueLabs is a unique facility for testing the next generation of offshore (floating) wind turbines. BlueLabs enables realistic wind and wave testing of floating offshore wind turbines (22+ MW), advanced hybrid testing combining physical models and software‑in‑the‑loop, innovative measurement and AI‑based control solutions and research accelerating the energy transition at sea.
BlueLabs Wind Setup for floating solar platforms
For the first time, floating solar farms can be tested under combined wind and wave conditions — replicating realistic storm scenarios at model scale.
Tags
offshore operationsoffshore energyoffshore wind