Data acquired by the European Sentinel-1A/Sentinel-B satellites are combined with a semi-empirical model to enable the easy inclusion of atmospheric offshore wind farm wakes in existing atmospheric model datasets. The model improves the agreement of data from an operational forecast centre with in situ measurements in the German Bight significantly.

We studied how very large wind turbines respond to wind forces by using advanced computer simulations that capture both airflow and how the blades bend and twist. Our results show that including the tower and blade twisting is crucial to predict performance and loads accurately. Compared to standard tools, our method gives a more complete picture of turbine behavior. This helps improve the design and reliability of future large-scale wind turbines.

Models of wind behavior inform offshore wind farm site investment decisions. Here we compare a newly developed model to another, historically used model based on how these models represent winds and turbulence at two North Sea sites. The best model depends on the site. While the older model performs best at the site above a wind farm, the newer model performs best at the site that is at the same altitude as the wind farm. We support using the new model to represent winds at the turbine level.

Floating offshore wind turbines unlock vast wind resources in deep waters, but platform motion makes wind speed hard to measure directly. This study develops an estimation method that infers wind speed from rotor rotation alone, using sliding-mode observer theory. Tested in a high-fidelity simulator and validated in a wave-tank experiment, the proposed method achieves comparable or superior accuracy to the Kalman filter, with simpler tuning, faster computation, and greater robustness.

As part of the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration 7 (OC7) project, load transfer from global analysis models to local structural designs was examined. Different load-mapping workflows from project participants were compared using a shared reference design and consistent checks. Results show that load-mapping choices, pressure application, and treatment of structural flexibility can influence predicted stresses and fatigue, highlighting key sources of uncertainty and providing guidance for more consistent global‑to‑local assessments.

Numerical models used to analyze wind turbines are based on thousands of input parameters. Each of these parameters has uncertainty, which can impact the predicted loads. This work demonstrates a screening technique to identify which parameters ultimate loads are most sensitive to so that more focus can be given to quantifying the possible range of those parameters, with a focus on a floating offshore wind turbine in design load cases with transient events both in the inflow and operations.