Train2Wind

01/02/2020 to 31/01/2024

TRAIN2WIND is a PhD TRAINing school analysing enTRAINment in offshore WIND farms with computer models
and experiments. By its very nature, a wind turbine extracts energy from the wind, which is replenished from the
wind field on the sides and above due to the ambient turbulence. However, offshore the turbulence is lower, and
wind farms are typically larger than onshore, therefore the wind can only be replenished from above in a process
called entrainment. TRAIN2WIND will investigate the entrainment process using advanced high-resolution computer
modelling and wind tunnel models together with measurements of the wind field above, in and downstream of large
wind farms, using lidars, radars, satellites and Unmanned Aerial Systems.
Some of the largest operators of offshore wind farms will provide access to the data and the wind farms in order
to investigate whether there is a limit to offshore wind power installation density coming from the refreshment of
momentum in very large wind farms or clusters. For them, and for the government agencies currently preparing the
Marine Spatial Plan for the European waters, updated knowledge of entrainment and the associated potential limits
to wind power extraction offshore is paramount to avoid mis-allocation of tens of billions of euros when planning
offshore wind farms too dense or too close.
Besides the natural science package, one humanities PhD student will investigate the collaboration between the
researchers from a social science and collaboration tools perspective. The project will not only train PhDs, it will also
give shorter opportunities to fellows who just want to commit to one year at a time, thus training a total of 20 fellows.