Offshore energy hubs: cost-effectiveness in the Baltic sea energy system towards 2050

Offshore energy hubs connect large amounts of offshore wind to a hub from where the generation can be transmitted to onshore, potentially linking to multiple surrounding countries. The benefits of such hubs, and the related meshed offshore grid to connect them, have been investigated in the North Sea. The system-wide impacts of offshore energy hubs in the Baltic Sea are less studied; however, the region is seeing increased interest in offshore wind development. This paper uses detailed offshore wind generation simulations and energy system optimisation to investigate the cost-effectiveness of offshore energy hubs in the Baltic Sea in different scenarios towards 2050. The results show that the largest deployment of offshore energy hubs occurs when the energy system is highly electrified. The strongest development of the offshore energy hubs occurs in the southern part of the Baltic Sea.