Reliability-based design optimization in offshore renewable energy systems.

Abstract Offshore wind farm operations and maintenance costs currently total 6 m€/year, or 25–28% of total costs. For wave and tidal energy converters, this cost is projected to be twice that of offshore wind, but has high levels of uncertainty. As the wave and tidal energy industries mature, decreasing O&M costs through reliability-based design optimization is critical to increasing feasibility and competitiveness with other energy technologies. In this paper, we will synthesize existing information on reliability-based optimization in systems analogous to offshore renewable energy systems. We will conclude by highlighting opportunities for future work in this field. Highlights • Explores state-of-the-art optimization for reliability in offshore renewable energy systems. • Operations and Maintenance costs for offshore renewable energy systems are very high. • Reliability-based design optimization increases the longevity of these systems, reducing costs. • Not accounting for reliability can lead to inviable designs or higher probabilities of failure. • RBDO methods accelerate convergence, improve reliability, and enhance market competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]