The development of offshore wind power has become a pressing energy
issue, driven by the need to find new electrical power sources and to
reduce the use of fossil fuels. Offshore wind farms can harness
tremendous wind resources without annoying citizens and with a
comparatively low environmental impact. They are thus becoming a central
pillar of a carbon free energy system. However offshore turbines and
wind farms are costly to install and maintain, making reliability and
cost-effectiveness key issues. This work covers reliability of offshore
wind farms as a whole, starting from weather and wind conditions,
dealing with wind turbine technology, farm layout, monitoring, safety
and maintenance. The thoroughly revised second edition additionally
covers turbines of up to 10 MW, turbine design changes, turbine
converters, HVDC converter stations and DC links, offshore sub-sea
collector and export cables, and the structures supporting large
offshore wind farms.
Offshore Wind Power is essential reading for scientists, engineers,
technicians and advanced students interested or engaged in the design of
wind turbines, drivetrain technology and power mechatronics, in academia
and industry.