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Sustainable energy from the sea: A Comprehensive review of Hybrid Offshore Solar, Wind, and Wave Technologies

Abstract

The increasing global demand for clean and sustainable energy has intensified research focus on offshore renewable energy systems, particularly those integrating wind, solar, and wave resources. Offshore hybrid renewable energy systems represent a transformative opportunity to harness diverse marine energy sources, aiming to improve energy yield, capacity factor, and reliability compared to single-technology solutions. Evaluation of past literature reveals a critical gap in comprehensive evaluations of fully integrated hybrid offshore platforms that simultaneously deploy floating solar photovoltaic (FPV), offshore wind turbines, and wave energy converters (WECs), including their  techno-economic  performance  and  environmental  impacts.  This  study  addresses  this  gap  by  systematically  reviewing the current state-of-the-art offshore floating solar, wind, and wave energy technologies and analyzing key commercial pilot hybrid projects such as Hollandse Kust Noord, W2POWER, and the Hybrid Floating POSEIDON system. A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative literature review, multi-criteria technical, economic, and environmental  evaluation,  and  case  study  analysis  was  employed  to  assess  the  design  innovations,  integration  strategies,  and  deployment  challenges.  Results  demonstrate  that  hybrid  offshore  systems  leveraging  synergies  between  solar,  wind,  and  wave  resources  can  achieve  up  to  five  times  higher  energy  output  than  single-source systems, with floating wind currently leading in maturity and energy production scale, complemented effectively by floating solar and wave converters to enhance seasonal and operational stability. Novel modular floating platforms and   advanced   mooring   systems   enable   scalable,   durable   solutions   capable   of   withstanding   harsh   marine environments.  Environmental  considerations,  including  biofouling,  corrosion,  and  ecosystem  impacts,  can  be  addressed via mitigation strategies and adaptive site selection.