Offshore Wind Turbines Research Articles

Answering the key stakeholder questions about the impact of offshore wind farms on marine life using hypothesis testing to inform targeted monitoring

Abstract Stakeholders need scientific advice on the environmental impacts of offshore wind (OW) before the facilities are installed. The utility of conventional environmental monitoring methods as a basis for forecasting OW impacts is limited because they do not explain the causes of the observed effects. We propose a multistep approach, based on process-oriented hypothesis testing, targeted monitoring and numerical modeling, to answer key stakeholder questions about planning an OW facility: Q1—Where do we place future OW farms so that impacts on the ecosystem are minimized? Q2—Which species and ecosystem processes will be impacted and to what degree? Q3—Can we mitigate impacts and, if so, how? and Q4—What are the risks of placing an OW facility in one location vs. another? Hypothesis testing can be used to assess impacts of OW facilities on target species-ecological process. This knowledge is transferable and is broadly applicable, a priori, to assess suitable locations for OW (Q1). Hypothesis testing can be combined with monitoring methods to guide targeted monitoring. The knowledge generated can identify the species/habitats at risk (Q2), help selecting/developing mitigation measures (Q3), and be used as input parameters for models to forecast OW impacts at a large spatial scale (Q1; Q4).

Noise pollution causes parental stress on marine invertebrates, the Giant scallop example

In marine invertebrates, abiotic stresses on adults can act directly on gametes quality, which impacts phenotype and development success of the offspring. Human activities introduce noise pollution in the marine environment but still few studies on invertebrates have considered the impacts on adult or larval stages separately, and to our knowledge, never investigated the cross-generational effects of anthropogenic noise. This article explores parental effects of pile driving noise associated with the building phase of offshore wind turbines on a coastal invertebrate, Pecten maximus (L.). Adults were exposed to increasing levels of sound during gametogenesis, then their offspring were also exposed. The results highlight that anthropogenic noise experienced by the parents reduces their reproductive investment and modify larval response in similar conditions. Also, larvae from exposed adults grew 6-fold faster and metamorphosed 5-fold faster, which could be an amplified adaptive strategy to reduce the pelagic phase in a stressful environment.

Hydrodynamic performance and energy redistribution characteristics of wind–wave hybrid system based on different WEC microarrays

Wave energy converters (WECs) are often arranged in the form of microarrays to maximize the energy capture and synergistic effects in a wind–wave hybrid system. However, the hydrodynamic coupling in hybrid systems is complicated and tough to directly evaluate. Although there have been numerous studies on wind–wave hybrid systems, the influence of the structural form of the microarray on the interactions and performance of WECs has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Hence, the hydrodynamic coupled modelling of a hybrid system considering different WECs microarrays was developed. Based on this system, the relationship between the microarray arrangement and hydrodynamic performance of the hybrid system was studied, coupled with the energy redistribution characteristics of the microarray. The results show that the gain of WECs microarray to the floating offshore wind turbine in pitch mode decreases with increasing wave direction. Further, Upstream WECs alter the wave field experienced by downstream ones through radiation and diffraction waves, thereby affecting the energy capture of downstream WECs. This study presents insights into the effects of WECs microarrays on hydrodynamic coupling and energy redistribution characteristics in hybrid systems, which will help guide the design of WEC layout in wind–wave hybrid systems.

Design strategy for resonance avoidance to improve the performance of tension leg platform-type floating offshore wind turbines

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of elasticity of the tower and blades of a large tension leg platform (TLP)-type FOWT on the eigenmodes of the entire system and suggest reference directions to be implemented in the conceptual design stage. Typically, TLP-type FOWTs are connected by a mooring system with strong tension and exhibit an extremely short natural period of motion compared with a semi-submersible platform. Furthermore, the wind turbine tower mounted on the floating platform is flexible in the fore-aft and side-to-side directions, forming a vibrating system in itself; therefore, it is coupled with the motion of the floating platform. In particular, the tower elasticity is known to influence the roll and pitch motions of the platform. In this study, the motion response characteristics of the platform were investigated according to the changes in the tower design parameter (bending stiffness). The influence of blade elasticity was also confirmed, verifying that the physical characteristics of both the tower and blade significantly affect the motion of the TLP. Additionally, the degree of influence based on environmental loads was identified to suggest a design direction for FOWTs while avoiding resonance.

Marine Infrastructure Detection with Satellite Data—A Review

A rapid development of marine infrastructures can be observed along the global coasts. Offshore wind farms, oil and gas platforms, artificial islands, aquaculture, and more, are being constructed without a proper quantification of these human activities. Therefore, effective monitoring is required to maintain transparency towards environmental standards, marine resource management, inventorying objects, and global security. This study reviews remote sensing-based approaches to offshore infrastructure detection over the past 12 years. We analyzed 89 studies from over 30 scientific journals, highlighting spatial and temporal trends, methodological approaches, and regional and thematic research foci. Our results show a significant increase in research interest, especially since 2019. Asia, and especially China, is the predominant focus region in terms of first authorship, funding, and areas of investigation. Aquaculture is the most studied infrastructure, followed by platforms, offshore wind farms, and artificial islands. Gaofen, Sentinel, and Landsat are the most used satellite sensors for detection. The apparent shift towards automated detection methods, especially Deep Learning algorithms, reflects advances in computer vision. This study highlights the key role of earth observation in the field of off-shore infrastructure detection, which can contribute towards outlining effective monitoring practices for marine activities, as well as highlighting important knowledge gaps.

Fatigue Analysis of a Jacket-Supported Offshore Wind Turbine at Block Island Wind Farm

Offshore wind-turbine (OWT) support structures are subjected to cyclic dynamic loads with variations in loadings from wind and waves as well as the rotation of blades throughout their lifetime. The magnitude and extent of the cyclic loading can create a fatigue limit state controlling the design of support structures. In this paper, the remaining fatigue life of the support structure for a GE Haliade 6 MW fixed-bottom jacket offshore wind turbine within the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) is assessed. The fatigue damage to the tower and the jacket support structure using stress time histories at instrumented and non-instrumented locations are processed. Two validated finite-element models are utilized for assessing the stress cycles. The modal expansion method and a simplified approach using static calculations of the responses are employed to estimate the stress at the non-instrumented locations—known as virtual sensors. It is found that the hotspots at the base of the tower have longer service lives than the jacket. The fatigue damage to the jacket leg joints is less than 20% and 40% of its fatigue capacity during the 25-year design lifetime of the BIWF OWT, using the modal expansion method and the simplified static approach, respectively.

Vibration control and stroke evaluation of bi-directional bistable nonlinear energy sinks applied in monopile offshore wind turbines during emergency shutdown

Monopile offshore wind turbines (OWTs) in complex wind and wave environments can generate more excessive vibrations in the fore-aft (FA) and side-to-side (SS) directions when emergency shutdowns occur, and therefore damping techniques to alleviate such vibrations are essential. Due to the potential frequency detuning (reduced damping effectiveness) of traditional tuned mass dampers (TMDs) and stroke issues (such as large strokes of TMDs and limited maximum strokes of unidirectional nonlinear energy sinks (NESs)) in existing absorbers, this paper proposes a bi-directional bistable nonlinear energy sink (BBNES) to mitigate the vibration of the OWT in the FA and SS directions during the emergency shutdown. First, the proposed device and its operation mechanism are elaborated, and an optimization method for the device is introduced. Then, the dynamic analysis model of the BBNES is developed for vibration control of the OWT and incorporated into a fully coupled numerical simulation tool with high fidelity, FAST v8. Subsequently, the responses of the OWT without and with the proposed BBNES and the bi-directional tuned mass damper (BTMD) are exhaustively investigated under diverse conditions (including mass ratios, wind-wave loadings, emergency shutdown times, wind-wave misalignments, and 1st mode natural frequencies of the OWT) to reveal their performances and compare them. The research results show that under most conditions, the BBNES and BTMD have a similar damping performance in the FA direction, whereas the BBNES has a slightly lower damping performance in the SS direction than the BTMD. In addition, except for the wind velocity of 8 m/s at the hub and the wind-wave misalignment of 90°, the FA stroke of the BBNES with a small mass ratio (i.e., 0.01∼0.035) is significantly smaller than that of the BTMD with the same mass ratio by more than 1.1 m, and even up to about 4 m. The SS stroke of the BBNES is slightly greater than that of the BTMD, and in most cases, the difference between both is less than 0.52 m. Therefore, the BBNES is superior to the BTMD in this regard. When the 1st mode natural frequency of the OWT decreases, the BTMD can lose its tuning efficacy and makes the tower more susceptible to resonance caused by 1p and wave loadings, while the BBNES is not affected by the 1st mode natural frequency variation of the OWT, demonstrating its stronger robustness.

Experimental study on water replenishment holes in offshore monopiles

Adequate replenishment of water within the monopile foundations of offshore wind turbines is essential to ensure the effective performance of cathodic protection measures applied inside the monopile to combat internal corrosion. This study presents experimental results for the process of replenishing water within a monopile with one opening below the still water level. The results are presented as (1) the relative wave height and set-down inside the monopile under various regular wave conditions and (2) head loss coefficient for the flow in and out of the water replenishment opening in the monopile. The study demonstrates a clear link between the ratio of the wave height of the internal and external surface elevations, the relative wave height, and the dimensions of the opening in the monopile as well as the wave period. Furthermore, a simple predictive model is proposed based on linear wave theory and static energy loss considerations. The orientation of the opening with respect to the wave direction has limited effect on the relative wave height, however it has a distinct effect on the mean surface level (MSL) inside the monopile. The lowest MSL occurred when the opening hole was positioned perpendicular (at a 90-degree angle) to the direction of wave propagation. Geometric considerations suggest that the flow in and out of the cylinder is slightly asymmetric and the results also show a small difference in the head loss coefficient for the flow in and out of the monopile, respectively. On average, however, the head loss coefficient was found to be ζ=2.0.

The influence of seabed lease fees on offshore wind farm design

Governments that control seabed generally extract fees from the offshore wind sector, often tying these fees to the characteristics of the proposed wind farms. These fees could change the optimal design of offshore wind farms, thereby affecting the long-term development of the industry. We employ microeconomic theory and incentive-response analysis to explain the effects of different types of fees on the optimal design and characteristics of offshore wind farms. We find that fees that are structured to be proportional to wind farm area, nameplate capacity, production, and revenue may influence the optimal design of a wind farm from a wind farm developer's perspective. Fees based on area, production, or revenue may result in less area used by developers. Fees based on capacity, production, or revenue may result in the choice of turbines with lower specific power, while fees based on production or revenue may additionally encourage the use of smaller turbines. All four fee types may encourage developers to use fewer turbines per wind farm. If designed intentionally, policymakers could use seabed lease fees to guide the wind farm designs toward more socioeconomically optimal outcomes, including less area used, reduced environmental impacts, or better grid integration.

The impact of future UK offshore wind farm distribution and climate change on generation performance and variability.

Abstract The UK plans to significantly increase offshore wind generation capacity as part of the effort to achieve net zero targets. Current installation is densely located in a few areas, particularly off the east coast of England, and although current siting proposals include new offshore regions, significant volumes of wind generation capacity are yet to be located to meet 2050 installation targets. This paper uses a recent dataset of multi-decadal offshore wind power capacity factor timeseries to assess how UK offshore wind generation is likely to be affected by both the spatial distribution of future wind farms, and by the impacts of near-future (2020-2050) climate change. We determine that a wider geographic spread of offshore capacity results in a much-improved and less-variable UK-aggregated power generation profile, with substantial reductions in periods of low generation and extreme wind power ramping events, without negatively impacting mean or peak generation outputs. The impact of near-term climate change appears to be minor, slightly reducing overall generation and possibly resulting in an underestimation of future installation requirements, but this climate signal is outweighed by the effects of spatial distribution, and even more so by inherent hourly to inter-annual wind speed variability. This study implies that the intermittency of wind generation can be partly mitigated through increasing the spatial diversity of the existing wind farm distribution. Alongside a more in depth investigation of future climate change, and a holistic assessment of relevant geospatial factors such as Levelised Cost of Energy, infrastructure, and environmental constraints, this study could be used for optimisation of future offshore wind siting.

Optimizing offshore wind export cable routing using GIS-based environmental heat maps

Abstract. In the United States, there are plans to produce up to 30 GW of offshore wind power by the year 2030, resulting in numerous seabed lease areas which are currently going through the leasing or construction and operations phase. A key challenge associated with offshore wind is optimal routing and installation of the subsea power cables, which transmit power from the main offshore wind energy production area to a land-based station, where it connects to the electrical grid. By traversing a vast extent of the seafloor, the installation and operational phases of subsea power cables have the potential to result in a range of environmental impacts, which may negatively affect sensitive biological, physical, human and/or cultural resource receptors. Presented here is a case study from southeastern North Carolina to identify optimal seabed cable routes and coastal landfalls for a recently leased offshore wind farm by using a combination of publicly available data, coupled with standard environmental impact assessment methodologies and geographic information system (GIS)-based heat maps. The study identified a range of high-risk areas, in addition to a number of potential low-risk routes and landfall areas which minimize seabed user conflicts and impacts on environmentally sensitive locations. Although additional high-resolution and site-specific environmental, geological and biological surveys are required to develop a robust cable installation plan, the preliminary steps from this research optimize early-phase marine spatial planning for offshore wind projects and other similar subsea industries.

A Comprehensive Review on Advanced Control Methods for Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Systems above the Rated Wind Speed

This paper presents a comprehensive review of advanced control methods specifically designed for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) above the rated wind speed. Focusing on primary control objectives, including power regulation at rated values, platform pitch mitigation, and structural load reduction, this paper begins by outlining the requirements and challenges inherent in FOWT control systems. It delves into the fundamental aspects of the FOWT system control framework, thereby highlighting challenges, control objectives, and conventional methods derived from bottom-fixed wind turbines. Our review then categorizes advanced control methods above the rated wind speed into three distinct approaches: model-based control, data-driven model-based control, and data-driven model-free control. Each approach is examined in terms of its specific strengths and weaknesses in practical application. The insights provided in this review contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamic landscape of control strategies for FOWTs, thus offering guidance for researchers and practitioners in the field.

Study on aerodynamic and structural performance of floating offshore wind turbine with fusion winglets

ABSTRACT The surge motion of the platform affects the aerodynamic and structural performance of the floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) with tip-fusion winglets. Hence, this paper aims to study the aerodynamic and structural performance of the wind turbine with and without tip-fusion winglets under the surge motion by ANSYS software. Comparison of the differences in the pressure distribution, flow fields, modal analysis, and stress of the wind turbines under surge motions. The results show that the tip-fusion winglets have an obvious influence on the pressure distribution and flow fields, and the influence mainly concentrates on the tip of the blade. In addition, the frequency of the wind turbine with fusion winglets is less than without winglets from the first mode to the third mode. The main vibration type of wind turbines with and without winglets is flapping. Besides, the maximum stress of the wind turbine with fusion winglets is increased by 19.91%, and there is a stress concentration phenomenon at the connection between the blade tip and the winglet, which is easy to cause fatigue damage. The location of the maximum stress appears in the transition section between the Cylinder airfoil and the DU airfoil.

Effect of scour on the fatigue life of offshore wind turbines and its prevention through passive structural control

Abstract. Offshore wind turbine (OWT) support structures are exposed to the risk of fatigue damage and scour, and this risk can be effectively mitigated by installing structural control devices such as tuned mass dampers (TMDs). However, time-varying scour altering OWTs' dynamic characteristics has an impact on the TMD design and fatigue life, which has rarely been studied before. In this paper, a simplified modal model is used to investigate the influence of scour and a TMD on the fatigue life evaluation of a 5 MW OWT's support structure, and a traditional method and a newly developed optimization technique are both presented to obtain TMD parameters. This optimization technique aims at finding optimal parameters of the TMD which maximize the fatigue life of a hotspot at the mudline, and the effect of time-varying scour can be considered. This study assumes that the TMD operates in the fore–aft (FA) direction, while the vibration in the side–side (SS) direction is uncontrolled. Results show that scour can decrease the fatigue life by about 24.1 % and that the TMD can effectively suppress vibration and increase the fatigue life. When the scour depth reaches 1.3 times the pile diameter, the TMD with a mass ratio of 1 % can increase the fatigue life of an OWT's support structure by about 64.6 %. Further, it is found that the fatigue life can be extended by 25 % with the TMD optimized by the proposed optimization technique rather than using a traditional design method which does not take the change in dynamic characteristics into account.

Acceptance of offshore wind farm in Southwest Sardinia in Italy. Do regional energy policies matter?

Purpose The social acceptance of wind energy is increasingly conditioning the Italian Government and regions to authorize the construction of these plants. The proposal of offshore wind farm in the south-west of Sardinia has raised many perplexities both from the marine environmental point of view and from concern about increasing the electricity production in a region that already exports electricity to the peninsula. The purpose of this study is to evaluate what are the factors that most affect the coastal residents’ acceptability of an offshore wind farm. Design/methodology/approach The data is based on a Sardinia-wide in-person survey with about 512 participants in the period between May and June 2023. Respondents were selected randomly from five different locations in Carloforte region. Multiple regression analysis investigates the factors that influenced acceptability to construction and development of offshore wind power plant. Four independent variables were selected in the regression models such as (i) interest towards wind energy, (ii) attitude towards renewable energy production, (iii) perceived regional energy policy and (iv) attitude towards offshore wind farm. The dependent variables are the rates of coastal local residents’ acceptance of offshore wind farm for respondents in five coastal towns. Findings Fishermen and summer tourism operators’ respondents expressed significant reluctance to accept the new project because they perceive a strong risk of environmental impact on both tuna fishing and marine recreational activities in the vicinity. The distance between the turbines at sea and local residents along the coast and surrounding small islands does not have an influence to accept wind energy. The energy policy of the Region of Sardinia, which is perceived by respondents as an expansive energy policy in the production of electricity that exceeds their needs, not being accompanied by a scenario of reducing that from fossil fuels, is the variable that led about 70% of respondents to express a negative opinion towards this project. Research limitations/implications A potential problem associated with the survey is that local response produced sample selection bias. The proportion of respondents with secondary education and no school certificate is quite high. It is possible that respondents who provided valid questionnaires were more low-educated and therefore, the sample may be biased towards lower-educated people. While this does not invalidate the results of this study, it is important to note that the sample was on average less educated than the overall population in Italy. In addition, people with lower incomes were more likely to complete the questionnaires; the results are more representative of a portion of the population with incomes below the national average. Practical implications Results showed how coastal communities are in favour of wind energy within their island, but not within a marine protected area that is considered unique for its beauty and marine ecosystem. Wind energy developers should, before submitting a proposal for an offshore wind farm project, consider among other things the long approval time and understand the activities carried out by local communities and their attachment to those places. Politicians and developers should develop a coherent energy transition policy based on a long-term vision of zero emissions, because according to the findings of this study, it was the regional energy policy that is the most controversial reason for residents to reject the project. Originality/value The contribution of this study is to fill a part of the research gap linking to ongoing energy transitions. In particular, this study analysed for the first time in Italy the acceptability level of an offshore renewable energy project considering the environmental implications and risks in the fragile marine ecosystem of Carloforte waters. This study also made it possible to analyse the impact of the regional energy policy on the acceptability of residents towards the development of offshore wind farms, which is scarcely discussed in the literature.

Assessing the influence of offshore wind turbine noise on seasonal fish chorusing

Abstract Offshore wind farms have recently emerged as a renewable energy solution. However, the long-term impacts of wind turbine noise on fish chorusing phenology are largely unknown. We deployed a hydrophone 10 m from a foremost turbine in Taiwan situated at the Miaoli offshore wind farm (Taiwan Strait) for two years to investigate sound levels and assess the potential influence of turbine noise on seasonal fish chorusing patterns during 2017 and 2018. Wind turbine noise (measured in the 20–250 Hz frequency band) was significantly higher in autumn and winter (mean SPL: 138–143 dB re 1 μPa) and was highly correlated with wind speed (r = 0.76, P < 0.001). During both years, fish chorusing exhibited a consistent trend, that is, beginning in spring, peaking in summer, decreasing in autumn, and absent in winter. Our results show the noise from a single turbine during the two-year monitoring period did not influence the seasonal fish chorusing (r = −0.17, P ≈ 1). Since the offshore wind farm installations are growing in magnitude and capacity across the Taiwan Strait, this study for the first time provides baseline operational sound levels and an understanding of the fish seasonal vocalization behavior at the foremost turbine of the first wind farm in Taiwan. The results presented here provide useful insights for policymakers and constitute a reference starting point for advancing knowledge on the possible effects of wind turbines on fish chorusing in the studied area.

Studying the mode shape participation factor of wave loads for offshore wind turbine structures

This paper introduces a method for analyzing resonance between Offshore Wind Turbine (OWT) structures and wave loads using Wave Participation Factor ratios (WPFs). Despite temporal fluctuations in WPFs due to wave loads, they prove effective for identifying key modes influencing wave load behavior in both fixed and floating OWT structures. For fixed OWT foundations, nonlinear soil behavior causes some natural frequency variations under wave forces, but they typically remain within a limited range. Lower natural frequency modes show minor WPFs, reducing the risk of resonance with wave loads. Modes with higher natural frequencies have substantial WPFs and are less prone to resonance. However, precautions are needed to avoid rotor-induced wind load resonance. Floating OWT structures have large WPFs in their first six near-rigid body motion modes, while mooring line stiffness leads to substantial variations in these modes. It's crucial to control the first six nonlinear frequencies outside the dominant wave load range. Beyond these six modes, natural frequencies significantly exceed wave load frequencies, reducing resonance concerns. In summary, this study presents an effective method for assessing resonance between OWT structures and loads, providing valuable insights for structural design and operational safety.

A novel hybrid model based on Empirical Mode Decomposition and Echo State Network for wind power forecasting

Accurate wind power forecasting is essential for (i) the management of wind energy, (ii) increasing the integration of generated power into the electrical grid, and (iii) enhancing maintenance efficiency. This paper proposes a novel hybrid model for short-term (1-hour ahead) wind power forecasting. The model integrates the echo-state network (ESN) architecture with empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to improve forecast accuracy. Unlike existing approaches that use separate models for each decomposed signal after EMD method, proposed model uses a single ESN structure to predict wind power by incorporating all decomposed signals and their past values. The main advantage of this architecture is that it eliminates the need to train multiple models, thereby streamlining the forecasting process. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model, one year of data from the West of Duddon Sands, Barrow, and Horns Power offshore wind farms is utilized. Firstly, the classical ESN model and the EMD-ESN hybrid model are compared for the three datasets. Then, a comprehensive evaluation is performed by comparing the results of the proposed model with commonly used standalone and hybrid forecasting models such as Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Adaptive-Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Bidirectional LSTM (BiLSTM), EMD-LSTM, EMD-BiLSTM, Variational Mode Decomposition based ESN (VMD-ESN), and Wavelet Decomposition based ESN (WD-ESN). The results show that the EMD-ESN hybrid model outperforms implemented models in predicting wind power in all three datasets. Furthermore, the proposed EMD-ESN model for an onshore wind turbine power data in Germany is compared with the SOTA models, such as Transformer, Informer, Autoformer, and Graph Patch Informer (GPI), in the literature. This study highlights the superior predictive capabilities of proposed model, making it a valuable tool for enhancing the accuracy of wind power forecasts, thereby contributing to the reliable integration of wind energy into the power grid.

Analysing the cost impact of failure rates for the next generation of offshore wind turbines

AbstractOffshore wind turbines have rapidly scaled up in recent years, with plans to construct turbines up to 22 MW in the next decade. However, the operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements for these ‘next‐generation turbines’ remain largely unknown. In this study, the total O&M costs are calculated, using a bench‐marked O&M model, for a hypothetical 10 MW turbine scenario using two drive train configurations, based on known failure rates of smaller turbines. The O&M costs of the 10 MW turbines are compared with those of existing 3 MW turbines in two case studies: a North Sea wind farm and an East Coast US wind farm. Overall, direct drive 10 MW turbines performed better depending on the site's climate conditions. The study indicated that the two‐stage drive train configuration may be more suitable for the US site than the North Sea, depending on the turbine's failure rate. The US site benefited from increased availability due to more favourable weather windows, resulting in lower lost revenue for the two‐stage configuration despite high transport costs. The study found that the failure rate of 10 MW offshore wind turbines in the North Sea with a two‐stage gearbox can increase by as much as 30% compared to the 3 MW failure rates without increasing direct O&M costs. These findings are crucial for the offshore wind energy industry, particularly for OEMs, developers and maintenance providers, as they provide insights into the required reliability for next generation turbines to reduce O&M costs compared to existing 3 MW turbines.

Marine Renewable-Driven Green Hydrogen Production toward a Sustainable Solution and a Low-Carbon Future in Morocco

Oceanic energy sources, notably offshore wind and wave power, present a significant opportunity to generate green hydrogen through water electrolysis. This approach allows for offshore hydrogen production, which can be efficiently transported through existing pipelines and stored in various forms, offering a versatile solution to tackle the intermittency of renewable energy sources and potentially revolutionize the entire electrical grid infrastructure. This research focusses on assessing the technical and economic feasibility of this method in six strategic coastal regions in Morocco: Laayoune, Agadir, Essaouira, Eljadida, Casablanca and Larache. Our proposed system integrates offshore wind turbines, oscillating water column wave energy converters, and PEM electrolyzers, to meet energy demands while aligning with global sustainability objectives. Significant electricity production estimates are observed across these regions, ranging from 14 MW to 20 MW. Additionally, encouraging annual estimates of hydrogen production, varying between 20 and 40 tonnes for specific locations, showcase the potential of this approach. The system’s performance demonstrates promising efficiency rates, ranging from 13% to 18%, while maintaining competitive production costs. These findings underscore the ability of oceanic energy-driven green hydrogen to diversify Morocco’s energy portfolio, bolster water resilience, and foster sustainable development. Ultimately, this research lays the groundwork for comprehensive energy policies and substantial infrastructure investments, positioning Morocco on a trajectory towards a decarbonized future powered by innovative and clean technologies.