Generating renewable energy from offshore farms is a great way for coastal communities to get off the grid and source their power in an eco-friendly way. Soon that may become a possibility for more coastal areas around the world, thanks to a recently developed modular floating maritime platform that can generate renewable energy from waves, wind, and solar.

Offshore wave energy conversion (WEC) is nothing new, with pioneering new developments taking place in this field all the time. However, the new platform — developed by German startup Sinn Power — is unique in that it’s been designed to be modular and extremely easy to connect and expand, so a variety of different combinations are possible.

Each floating unit, or module, consists of four integrated wave energy converters generating power relative to the water conditions. For regions with low potential for wave energy, the unit can also be equipped with an array of photovoltaic cells. Similarly, up to four small wind turbines can be equipped, and finally a combination of all three is also possible, making optimum use of the environmental conditions surrounding the platform.

Vast and reliable, wave energy has long been touted as one of the most promising sources for renewable power. With supplementary wind and solar, this renewable technology could become more reliable and thus contribute to the worldwide implementation of offshore energy farms and reduce the dependency of coastal areas on fossil fuels for energy.