Offshore Wind Energy - part 1

The course gives an introduction to selected topics relevant for the utilization of offshore wind energy. The course gives the students basic insight about the wind over the ocean and how the wind energy can be extracted. Further, the challenges related to wind turbines in ocean waves are addressed. Key topics covered in this course are:

• History and future development of offshore wind energy.
• Basic meteorology for offshore wind, including techniques for measurement and analysis of wind fields.
• Aerodynamics of wind turbines. Momentum theory, airfoils.
• Characteristics of wind turbines and wind farms.
• Description of ocean waves. Wave spectra and wave statistics.
• Introduction to wave loads on support structures.

On completion of the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has basic knowledge about

• the characteristics of the marine atmospheric boundary layer and techniques for analysing wind fields.
• aerodynamic principles for extracting wind energy
• kinematics and dynamics of ocean waves.
• the principles of computation of wave loads on simple marine structures.

Skills

The student can

• estimate vertical wind profiles in the lower atmospheric boundary layer and perform statistical analysis of wind field data
• use basic momentum theory in estimating power from wind turbines
• describe irregular ocean waves by linear wave theory
• estimate wave loads on simple marine structures.

General competence

The student

• Understands the basic principles of the methods used for estimating power extraction from and loads on offshore wind turbines.
• can ask critical questions to assumptions made and results obtained.