Critical technologies for the offshore wind farm of the Future

The objective is to bring major innovations in the design and manufacturing of large offshore wind farms, aiming at >15 MW for fixed bottom offshore applications and >12 MW for floating offshore installations.

Attention can be paid to substantially reducing the wind turbine mass (rotor/nacelle/tower) as well as on advanced lean marine-compatible substructures, advanced (dynamic) cabling and connectors, including floating platforms and its moorings. Innovations such as compact generators, smart blades, reliable drive trains, can be investigated alongside new turbine designs. Innovative low-cost substructures with suitable geotechnical and hydro-dynamic properties should be developed using long-lasting, anti-fouling, corrosion resistant materials with high damping properties.

The projects should exploit improved understanding of the issues related to materials in the upscaling of wind energy turbines/systems (stresses and strains, delamination, etc.)

The innovations should contribute to sustainability considering circularity in the design phase, less (or no) use of (critical) raw materials and decreasing negative environmental and social impacts. They should also contribute to the mitigation of the possible impacts to protected species and habitats.

Such development will allow further deployment of offshore wind energy conversion systems and dramatically increase the offshore wind potential while reducing public acceptability barriers (noise, visual impact).

The active participation of relevant industrial partners and technology suppliers is essential to form a multisectoral, multidisciplinary consortium able to achieve the full impact of the project.

This R&I need is identified in the offshore renewable energy strategy (COM(2020) 741 final) that describes that further R&I action is needed in critical raw material substitution, reducing the environmental impacts of offshore technologies, and job creation.