Competencies

Each member brings unique and complimentary abilities to WindForS. Our expertise covers the whole wind energy system, including the wind plant, the environment, and society.

Graphisches Bild von Landschaftarchitektur

Landscape Architecture

Wind turbines bring new heights and shapes to the landscape. Our members explore the visual effects of wind plants and how wind turbines can be better integrated into the landscape. We also investigate what influences society’s opinion of wind energy and what could be done to improve it.

Wind, Waves, and Climate

Wind turbines and wind plants operate in a wide range of conditions, on- and off-shore. These conditions change over timescales from seconds to years. Improved acceptance, cheaper wind energy, and better integration of wind energy with the power system requires much more knowledge of the physics behind those operating conditions.

FOUNDATIONS

As wind turbines get larger and are deployed in challenging conditions on- and offshore, there is a need to ensure that their foundations are safe and cost effective. WindForS members carry out simulations and laboratory tests to better understand the subsoil and how to model its reaction to cyclical loads.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

Complex terrain often leads to high wind turbulence and thus challenging loading conditions for wind turbines. Offshore, wind turbines are subject to loads from the wind and waves. Our members research the effect of wind and waves on the turbines, and how new structures and design methods could reduce them, leading to longer service lives.

CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING

Wind turbines are complex machines with many different materials and components. We investigate how different materials, manufacturing methods, and automated quality control could reduce costs and increase wind turbine reliability.

TESTING, MEASUREMENTS, AND MONITORING

Validating wind turbine designs and keeping them operating at peak performance requires lots of data about wind resource, operating conditions, loads, and the turbine’s components. WindForS members can measure all these in the field and carry out extensive lab tests.

OPERATION AND CONTROL

Keeping the next generations of wind turbines and wind plant working safely and efficiently needs new tools and approaches. We work on new ways of operating wind turbines and wind plants, leveraging our experience in wind measurement and forecasting and our understanding of the wider energy system.

GRID CONNECTION AND STORAGE

Wind energy is intermittent but can be integrated into an electrical grid with success. WindForS members look at how forecasting, storage, and grid design and operation make it possible to use lots of wind energy on electrical grids from the micro to continental scale.

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