Global leader in offshore wind power Ørsted has signed a five-year research agreement with the University of Oxford to optimise the design structure and performance of offshore wind turbines.
The company is also collaborating with other universities to improve wind turbine design. There is an ongoing agreement with Durham university in addition to the most recent agreement with the University of Oxford.
Head of R&D at Ørsted Wind Power Christina Aabo, said, “We’re excited about this agreement with the University of Oxford, a world leading institution, which will help us better understand how we can optimise the design of wind turbine foundations. This partnership will enable us to further mature our foundation designs to support even bigger turbines in even deeper waters, lowering costs and risk level at the same time.”
Advanced geotechnical designs can largely impact cost reduction as ‘foundations contribute significantly to the overall wind turbine capital costs,’ according to Ørsted media report.
“The research activities will deliver new design methods to address this cyclic loading, through doctoral and post-doctoral research projects, including on theoretical development, soil laboratory testing and medium scale field tests.” the report said.