Special issue  

This paper considers the modelling of wind turbine main bearings using analytical models. The validity of simplified analytical representations is explored by comparing main-bearing force reactions with those obtained from higher-fidelity 3D finite-element models. Results indicate that good agreement can be achieved between the analytical and 3D models in the case of both non-moment-reacting (such as for a spherical roller bearing) and moment-reacting (such as a tapered roller bearing) set-ups.

Several energy system scenarios towards 2050 for the North Sea region are analysed. With a focus on offshore wind, the impacts of meshed offshore grid and sector coupling are studied. The results show that the introduction of a meshed grid can increase offshore wind power installations by around 10 GW towards 2050. However, sector coupling is expected to increase offshore wind power installations by tens of gigawatts.

Leading edge erosion has developed into a significant problem for the offshore wind industry. It is important to understand the offshore precipitation environment to model and predict the onset of erosion and to design systems to protect against it. In this study, the offshore environment was characterised using up-to-date measuring techniques. A general offshore droplet size distribution that can be used to improve lifetime prediction techniques has been presented.