To achieve the aim of the topic, a systematic approach will be developed and applied to select H2020 results and owners, to support the project development and finally to derive Innovation Fund-ready projects. The ETS Innovation Fund (IF) fosters low-carbon processes and technologies – and many results from H2020 provide promising solutions to be deployed. However, translating R&D results into products and processes and developing viable business cases is a major effort. Beyond that, it is a further great step to mobilise investors and stakeholders to make the projects fly. The IF regulations are challenging for the industry. To cope with all challenges related to the project development and preparation phase of future IF projects, DIAMONDS4IF is designed to a) securing the viability and readiness of the projects, b) enabling applicants to prepare IF applications, c) developing a comprehensive approach towards stakeholders, investors, the public, and across the value chain, d) creating understanding of and preparing compliance with relevant regulations, guidelines, and framework conditions and e) solving questions and challenges arising from the project planning in line with funding requirements and award criteria. Through exemplary work on specific use cases in the field of renewable energy, a toolbox with the necessary methods and tools will be developed and applied. One of the major outputs of the project will be at least 5 sound proposals including the detailed plans for scalability, commercialisation, and financial models to be presented to the IF. Over the medium term, DIAMONDS4IF will develop and nurture a continuous innovation pipeline from H2020 innovations to deployment, which will exploit the synergies between the programmes. The use cases will e.g. directly implement REPower and climate relevant projects, comprising for example ~100MW offshore hybrid energy; 1.5GW of PV manufacturing capacity; 10GW of resource-efficient wafer production in Europe.

Europe is currently in a transition away from its dependency on Russian gas towards a fully renewable, reliable, and low-cost energy system by 2050. To achieve this target, large-scale renewable energy projects are essential. However, the transition is limited by several factors such as onshore space availability to deploy GW-scale projects, supply chain disruptions, and concerns from various stakeholders around visual pollution and space use. Offshore floating PV (OFPV) can deliver hundreds of GWs in Europe by 2050 while resolving above challenges. In areas with a fast-expanding offshore wind sector (e.g. North Sea), OFPV can be combined with wind inside multi-source farms. This enables the extraction of up to 9x more energy per km2 and better utilization of the infrastructure due to 10-20% more full-load hours, while leaving space for other stakeholders as fewer wind parks and electrical infrastructure are needed for the same amount of electricity production. In parts of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea with low wind resources, also stand-alone OFPV can help to achieve high penetration of renewable energy. Nautical SUNRISE will remove the last barriers of OFPV to deliver these benefits. A 5 MW grid-connected, multi-year offshore demonstration of a highly competitive OFPV system and its components inside a commercial wind farm will provide the trust needed for the upscaling of the technology. Prior to the demonstration, its technical reliability will be validated in the most extreme conditions through laboratory measurements, wave-wind tank tests, and modelling studies. The cost reduction achieved through design improvements will be quantified in concrete business cases and should enable an LCOE of <148 €/MWh, making OFPV financially viable. Additionally, the measurement campaign at the OFPV demonstration, large-scale environmental modelling, and life-cycle assessment including circularity will help to understand the overall effect on the environment.

Efficient and effective use of offshore renewables is pivotal in the transition of the EU to become a net-zero economy in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. EU-SCORES will unlock the large-scale potential of the roll-out of offshore renewable energy in multi-source parks across different European sea basins through two highly comprehensive and impactful demonstrations: (1) An offshore solar PV system in Belgium co-located with a bottom fixed windfarm and; (2) A wave energy array in Portugal co-located with a floating wind farm. The multi-source demonstrations in EU-SCORES will showcase the benefits of a continuous power output harnessing the complementarity between wind, sun and waves as it leads to a more resilient and stable power system, higher capacity factors and a lower total cost per MWh. These aspects will also improve the business case for the production of green hydrogen within these parks. The full-scale demonstrations will prove how the increased power output and capacity installed per km2 will reduce the amount of marine space needed, thereby leaving more space for aquaculture, fisheries, shipping routes and environmentally protected zones. Additional benefits attained by co-using critical electrical infrastructures and exploring advanced operation and maintenance methodologies supported by innovative autonomous systems will further lower the costs per MWh. The involvement of major project developers and utility companies (EDP, EGP, SBE, RWE, EnBW, Eneco, OceanWinds, and Parkwind) will ensure an accelerated path towards commercialisation of these innovative parks. Altogether, through a highly competent, skilled and motivated consortium EU-SCORES will pave the way for bankable multi-source parks including wind, wave and floating solar systems across different European sea basins by 2025, thereby supporting the stability and resilience of the European energy system, while considering sustainability, local stakeholders and existing ecosystems.