Structural Control Issues in New Generation Offshore Wind Energy Plants

A new constructive solution for the offshore wind power generation is to use floating wind turbines. An offshore wind farm situated sufficiently far away from the coast can generate more wind power and will have a longer operation life since the wind is stronger and more consistent than that on or near the coast. One of the main challenges is to reduce the fatigue of a floating wind turbine so as to guarantee its proper functioning under the constraints imposed by the floating support platforms. This paper will discuss the structural control issues related to the mitigation of dynamic wind and wave loads on the floating wind turbines so as to enhance the offshore wind power generation.