Downwind offshore wind turbines: Opportunities, trends and technical challenges.

In current offshore wind turbine designs, many are basic concepts using standard land-based wind turbines ‘marinised’ using a platform from the offshore oil and gas industry with additional anti-corrosion and structural stiffness. These projects are also focused on fixed offshore wind turbines at depths of less than 50 m. The design conservatism observed is present to avoid many changes to the proven technology on land-based wind turbines and offshore fixed foundations, to assure technical feasibility and economic viability in the short term. However, exportation of onshore technology directly to the offshore environment may not be entirely advantageous. There are opportunities in new designs or configurations, which can potentially lower cost of energy in a less restrictive offshore environment. This paper aims to review the current offshore wind technology and discusses comprehensively some of the factors and opportunities in selecting a downwind configuration for offshore wind turbines. In addition, current industry, research and developmental trends for downwind offshore wind turbines are described. Various technical challenges and gaps foreseen for this design motivation are also highlighted in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]