New wind energy technology

New concepts

For example, offshore wind development will continue at an unabated pace and will require new technologies and methodologies which do not as yet exist, or for which there is at present no valid business case. This is why we are researching concepts such as floating wind turbines, vertical axis turbines and airborne concepts, but also robotisation and digitalisation. To further support the rapid development of offshore wind energy, experimental validation plays a very important role.

International frontrunner

TNO is an international leader in wind energy, developing and validating new technologies. Wind energy is one of the pillars of energy transition, so it is essential that it remains affordable, and to ensure that it can be easily integrated into our energy system. These developments contribute not only to accelerating energy transition, but also create new opportunities for our business community, which has traditionally had a strong presence in offshore and maritime activities. In this way, sustainability goes hand in hand with new commercial activity and employment.

Floating wind farms

Our expertise in the development of floating wind farms is of huge interest internationally. By designing floating wind farms cost-effectively, our country has, potentially, a promising export product. Worldwide, there are many coastal areas where the wind blows from the sea, but which are too deep for structures such as those in the North Sea, where the wind turbines are secured into the seabed. Together with the industry and our knowledge partners, we are working on solutions to make floating wind turbines on a large scale a possibility.

Automating maintenance

TNO is investigating how offshore inspection and maintenance tasks can be further automated using new technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), and robotics in combination with fast network connections. In the future, it is quite conceivable that drones with robots will fly to the wind turbine to carry out maintenance.

Measuring and validating

Wind turbines are becoming larger in order to reduce the cost of wind energy. Designers are constantly pushing the limits of aerodynamics, causing forces and loads to increase exponentially. With the increase in size, measurement and validation become of even greater importance. TNO provides a unique combination of expertise in wind, aerodynamics, sensors and models.