Offshore Hack4Wind Hackathon
Where academic ideas drive real-world offshore innovation
Published on the 24th of December 2024. 6 min read.
Table of contents
What is the Offshore Hack4Wind Hackathon 2025?
1.1. Warm-up webinar
Why is it being organized?
Who can join?
Why join?
Who are the stakeholders?
5.1. Partners
5.2. Supporting institutions
5.3. Challenge givers’ firms
What are the hackathon challenges?
6.1. Challenge 1 - Floating Wind Concept Overload
6.2. Challenge 2 - Building and Dismantling Wind Farms: Ports, Offshore Solutions or Both?
6.3. Challenge 3 - Unmoored on the High Seas
6.4. Challenge 4 - Power Puzzle: Storing, Converting or Redirecting?
Hackathon timeline and location
7.1. Physical hackathon agenda and details to join in person
7.2. The venue
How to participate
Need more info?
1. What is the Offshore Hack4Wind Hackathon 2025?
The H4W is a two-and-a-half-day non-coding hackathon where multidisciplinary teams consisting of three to five individuals each investigate unconventional solutions to actual offshore wind problems, advancing the Belgian offshore industry.
Belgium's top academics will come together in February 2025 for the Offshore Hack4Wind Hackathon to work on creative answers to pressing problems in the offshore wind energy industry.
It is organized by the ETF PhairywinD project, which also extends an invitation to all Belgian scholars working on a wide range of offshore wind energy-related subjects.
1.1. Warm-up webinar
More information can be found on the Hackathon Warm Up webinar video.
Check it out!
2. Why is it being organized?
Belgium has long been a trailblazer in offshore wind, boasting world-class expertise across academic and industrial domains.
To sustain its position as a global leader, Belgium must remain at the cutting edge of technological advancements.
Pioneering research and innovation are crucial for driving progress beyond current capabilities and shaping the future of offshore wind energy.
3. Who can join?
Belgian academics working on a wide range of offshore wind energy-related projects are invited to join Hack4Wind.
No prior knowledge of coding is necessary, and researchers with and without technical backgrounds are welcome.
Participants are welcome from all professional backgrounds, including professors and PhD researchers.
Note: Participants must be employed by or connected to an academic institution in Belgium. Hack4Wind might ask for evidence of affiliation.
4. Why join?
Participating in Hack4Wind entitles you to:
Present your skills to top offshore wind firms in Belgium.
Make connections with Belgian scholars who are pursuing related fields of study to pave the way for potential future partnerships.
Collaborate in interdisciplinary teams and investigate novel aspects of offshore wind innovation to expand your horizons.
Get guidance from top academic and business professionals in the field of your choice.
Participate in important solutions for offshore wind's future.
Thanks to FPS Economy, all guests can participate in the 2.5-day hackathon for free.
Additionally, our hackathon competition partners will support the winning team with great rewards!
5. Who are the stakeholders?
5.1. Partners
The PhairywinD project, which receives funding from the Energy Transition Fund of the federal FPS Economy of Belgium, organizes Hack4Wind.
The OWI-Lab consortium is also supporting the event.
5.2. Supporting institutions
The following institutions are supporting the event:
5.3. Challenge givers’ firms
There can be no hackathon without the Challenges!
The following firms have our sincere gratitude for sharing their challenges with us:
6. What are the hackathon challenges?
Teams of Hack4Wind participants will work together to create creative solutions meant to solve particular offshore wind problems.
At least one of the envisioned difficulties listed below must be addressed by teams:
6.1. Challenge 1 - Floating Wind Concept Overload
With over 150 floating platform concepts currently available, identifying the most viable solutions is essential. What criteria should be used for selecting floaters, and balancing commercial and technical considerations, including subsidies and time to market? Design a framework for selecting floater solutions that account for all relevant parameters.
6.2. Challenge 2 - Building and Dismantling Wind Farms: Ports, Offshore Solutions or Both?
As Europe expands offshore wind capacity and decommissions older farms, innovative strategies are needed. How can we scale up offshore wind farm (de-)construction while addressing supply chain needs and logistics challenges? To do so, should we rely on existing port infrastructure, explore offshore solutions, or combine both?
6.3. Challenge 3 - Unmoored on the High Seas
What if we want to build wind farms far away from shore, in the high seas? There is lots of space and wind, but no way of placing cables back to shore or even put anchors on the bottom. How could such a farm produce energy? How can we store that energy and transport it back to shore?
6.4. Challenge 4 - Power Puzzle: Storing, Converting or Redirecting?
Offshore wind energy often faces mismatches between where and when energy is produced versus where and when it’s needed. How can we create an integrated solution to address these discrepancies? Should we store energy (batteries, submerged options, land-based solutions), convert it (e.g., into molecules like hydrogen), or redirect it via grid interconnections? And should this be done in a centralized manner (e.g., energy islands) or through decentralized solutions (e.g., substations)? Develop a framework to optimize energy flow from offshore wind, balancing technical, economic, and environmental factors.
7. Hackathon timeline and location
The Hack4Wind 2025 Hackathon will be launched in Brussels on 5 February 2025 and will conclude with the announcement of the winners planned for the last hackathon day on 7 February 2025.
Registrations will open globally at the end of November 2024 and close on 24 January 2025.
7.1. Physical hackathon agenda and details to join in person
Throughout the 2.5-day hackathon, participants will be tasked with submitting several deliverables that explain their idea and that will demonstrate their Proof of Concept.
All times in CET - UTC+1:
✅Registration and team formation start - End of November
⭕Registrations and team formation close - 24 January @ 00:00
🌬️Hackathon days start - 5 February @ 14:00
🚩 Hacking time and submission of the Proof of Concept
🗣️ Teams pitches - 7 February @ 14:30
👩⚖️ Evaluation - 7 February @ 16:00
🎉Winners announcement - 7 February @ 16:30
7.2. The venue
The Hackathon will be held at the venue Silversquare Bailli, Avenue Louise 231, 1050 Brussels!
Silversquare Bailli is a co-working space in the centre of Brussels with an event space, called Krjstopia.
8. How to participate
1) Register for the hackathon
Go to Eventornado and fill in the registration form!
2) Form or join a team
Create a team with your colleagues or friends, join an already existing team, or join individually and reach out to other participants to create a team from scratch.
3) Participate in the 2.5-day hackathon!
Join us for the hackathon in Brussels, have fun, and win prizes!
9. Need more info?
For any questions about the event you can drop us an email to hello@pristineagency.eu
