While low-level jets (LLJs) have been well characterised, their impact on offshore wind farms is not well understood. This study uses multi-elevation lidar scans to derive vertical wind profiles up to 350 m, detecting LLJs in up to 22.6 % of available measurements. Further, we analyse their effect on power conversion efficiency using operational wind farm data, observing a slightly negative influence and increased power fluctuations during LLJ events.

This editorial celebrates the 10th anniversary of Wind Energy Science, reflecting on a decade of rapid scientific progress and the journal’s role in advancing fundamental, interdisciplinary research. It highlights key developments in wind energy, the importance of open science and academia–industry collaboration, and emerging challenges such as data sharing and artificial intelligence. Above all, it honors the research community that has shaped the journal and looks ahead to the next decade.

This paper develops a nonlinear optimization framework to operate offshore energy islands with hybrid AC/DC grids, energy storage, and hydrogen production. Using realistic wind forecasts, uncertainty analysis and a detailed model inspired by the Princess Elisabeth Energy Island, the results show how the proposed approach can efficiently coordinate power flows and energy conversion systems, supporting the reliable and flexible integration of offshore wind energy.

We formulate and demonstrate a new digital shadow (i.e., a virtual copy) for wind turbines. The digital shadow is designed in order to be capable of mirroring the response of the machine even in complex inflow conditions. Results from field measurements illustrate the ability of the shadow to estimate loads with good accuracy, even with minimal tuning.

Weather effects drive wind turbine loads and performance to be different from those under mean atmospheric conditions. However, the influence of unsteady atmospheric phenomena on wake behavior remains unclear. This paper explores how atmospheric gravity waves – large-scale wave-like patterns caused by topographical features – affect meandering motions and turbulence generation in the wake region. The outputs of this paper can be used to guide wake modeling in realistic atmospheric flows.

This paper presents a method for designing control specifications based on mechanical fatigue. The method is validated by the design of controllers for a 15 MW reference wind turbine. The error in the fatigue estimation is smaller than 2 %, and the number of iterations during the controller design process has been significantly reduced.

The truck-based Doppler lidar system was used during the American Wake Experiment (AWAKEN) to obtain the high-frequency, simultaneous measurements of the horizontal wind speed, direction, and vertical velocity from a moving platform. The paper presents the unique capability of the novel lidar system to characterize the temporal, vertical, and spatial variability in winds at various distances from operating turbines and obtain quantitative estimates of wind speed reduction in the waked flow.

This study proposes a random-forest-based machine learning (ML) model for fatigue life prediction of offshore wind turbine monopile foundations compared to traditional approaches, using long-term strain data from turbines in the Belgian North Sea. This study shows that the ML model predicts the fatigue life of monopile foundations more reliably when only short-term measurements are available, whereas for longer monitoring periods of greater than 12 months, simpler binning methods perform equally well.

We developed controllers for the Hybrid-Lambda Rotor, which enables two operating modes below rated power via different tip speed ratios, balancing load reduction and power output. A baseline controller with a model-based wind speed estimator, a load feedback controller and an inflow feed-forward controller were implemented on the MoWiTO 1.8 model turbine and tested in wind tunnel experiments. In depth scaling, considerations ensure the transferability of the results to the full-scale model.

Wind turbine main bearings often fail prematurely, creating costly maintenance challenges. This study examined how wake effects – where upstream turbines create disturbed airflow that impacts downstream turbines – affect bearing lifespans. Using computer simulations, we found that wake effects reduce bearing life by 16 % on average. The direction of wake impact matters significantly due to interactions between wind forces and gravity, informing better wind turbine and farm design strategies.

Most human activity happens in the layer of the atmosphere which extends a few hundred meters to a couple of kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The flow in this layer is turbulent. Turbulence impacts wind power production and turbine lifespan. Optimizing wind turbine performance requires understanding how turbulence affects both wind turbine efficiency and reliability. This paper points to gaps in our knowledge that need to be addressed to effectively utilize wind resources.

This paper investigates wake dynamics of floating wind turbines and their effects on downstream turbine loads. Numerical simulations using different flow models, supported by experimental validation, show that large-eddy simulations with realistic turbulent inflow are required to capture platform-induced wake oscillations, wake meandering, and wake recovery. These effects are essential for accurate dynamic load estimation and reliable structural assessment of turbines within wind farms.

A simple adaptive variant of the Doppler Beam Swinging (DBS) method is presented to improve the availability of wind velocity measurements in profiling lidars, particularly at higher altitudes. Following validation at the Østerild test site in Denmark, using three profiling lidars compared with cup anemometers and wind vanes, excellent agreement was observed. Availability assessments indicated a maximum increase of 16.9 percentage points over the standard approach.

To increase power production, wind turbines' size continues to grow, reaching larger-scale processes. A better comprehension of the involved physics is required. This study focuses on the simulation of stable boundary layers using unstructured grids. This original framework is validated on a neutral boundary layer scenario, followed by a stable boundary layer scenario. All results are within the range of initial benchmarks. The framework is validated.

This comment clarifies the behavior of the one-dimensional momentum model used by Tyagi and Schmitz in the high- and low-tip-speed-ratio limits, explains the torque–power constraint in the limit $\lambda \to \infty$, states where model assumptions do not hold when equations are continued outside their domain, and notes reproducibility and citation issues.

The study showcases the added value of using structural response measurements in lifetime extension assessments within wind farms. In addition, it answers two of the common questions in different methods of assessment. First, it assesses the applicability of the Frandsen model for estimating conservative waked turbulence in the compact layout of wind farms. Second, it showcases probabilistic extrapolation of short- to mid-term data for long-term site-specific fatigue assessments. 

Wind turbines are increasing in size, pushing blade tips to operate at high speeds. This study employs numerical simulations to investigate the unsteady aerodynamic response of a wind turbine airfoil to angle-of-attack changes across the transonic flow threshold. By varying reduced frequency and inflow Mach number, the analysis reveals the impact of compressibility on aerodynamic performance, including a hysteresis effect, which highlights its importance in the design of next-generation rotors.