| Abstract: | The article reviews the main results of the recent European research project Opti‐OWECS (‘Structural and Economic Optimisation of Bottom‐Mounted Offshore Wind Energy Converters'), which has significantly improved the understanding of the requirements for a large‐scale utilization of offshore wind energy. An integrated design approach was demonstrated for a 300 MW offshore wind farm at a demanding North Sea site. Several viable solutions were obtained and one was elaborated to include the design of all major components. Simultaneous structural and economic optimization took place during the different design stages. An offshore wind energy converter founded on a soft–soft monopile was tailored with respect to the distinct characteristics of dynamic wind and wave loading. The operation and maintenance behaviour of the wind farm was analysed by Monte Carlo simulations. With an optimized maintenance strategy and suitable hardware a high availability was achieved. Based upon the experience from the structural design, cost models for offshore wind farms were developed and linked to a European database of the offshore wind energy potential. This enabled the first consistent estimate of cost of offshore wind energy for entire European regions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
