Research Progress on Offshore Wind Turbine Foundation Structures and Installation Technologies

Abstract

Offshore wind power, as an important component of renewable energy, has gradually become one of the key technologies in global energy transition. The development of offshore wind power faces complex technical challenges, including strong wind, waves, currents, foundation bearing capacity, and installation technologies for wind turbines, among other issues. In recent years, with technological advancements, significant breakthroughs have been made in the design of offshore wind power foundation structures, installation technologies, and equipment. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent progress in offshore wind power technologies, deeply exploring innovative technologies in areas such as the overall development trends, foundation structures, installation technologies, and equipment of offshore wind power. Special attention is given to the design and safety analysis of wind turbine foundation structures under different foundation conditions, as well as installation technologies for wind power in complex sea conditions and deep-water areas. The paper argues that the applicable depth of fixed foundations is expected to extend beyond 50 m. The jacket foundation remains the mainstream choice for future large-scale wind turbines, with the potential to increase its applicable water depth to 100 m. Furthermore, floating foundations have significant potential for cost reduction and efficiency improvements. Developing entirely new foundation structures and installation technologies suitable for deep-water environments is also a key direction for future development.

Keywords

Offshore wind power / Fixed-bottom foundations / Floating foundations / Installation technologies / Wind power equipment

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, X.M. and J.L.; Methodology, H.W.; Software, H.Z.; Validation, X.M., H.Z. and R.L.; Formal Analysis, J.L.; Investigation, H.Z.; Resources, R.L.; Data Curation, R.L.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, X.M.; Writing—Review & Editing, H.W.; Visualization, J.L.; Supervision, R.L.; Project Administration, J.L.; Funding Acquisition, R.L.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

All data will be made available upon reasonable request.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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