Characterization of Offshore Turbulence Intensity from Analysis of Ten Offshore Meteorological Masts in Northern Europe

Offshore wind offers a vast and inexhaustible energy source with minimal greenhouse gas emissions. To maximize energy generation it is critical to have a comprehensive understanding of all atmospheric and oceanic parameters that could affect any part of the wind turbine system. One of these key parameters is turbulence intensity; a measure of the degree of fluctuations within the three dimensional wind field. Turbulence is important to examine and quantify as it is responsible for inconsistent (fatigue) and extreme loads on the turbine and can disrupt continuous power generation. The goal of this ongoing year-long Master's Thesis is to develop a full description of offshore turbulence intensity and the variables that drive its behavior. To achieve this, vast amounts of data from ten meteorological towers in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and English Channel are investigated. Offshore ambient turbulence intensity is analyzed at each site against parameters such as the wind speed, wind direction, wave height, vertical profile, Weibull k values and distance to shore. Additionally, the spatial distribution of the turbulence intensity between the ten sites is inspected in order to identify any existing patterns.