ABSTRACT
This paper aims to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in offshore wind turbines, including an introduction to general design principles and the foundations. For use in shallow water, gravity foundations or buckets (caissons) are currently used, whereas monopiles are being applied for medium depth water. It is foreseen that future larger wind turbines (say 10 MW nominal power output, 160 m rotor diameter) in deeper water will be based on a tripod foundation. For very deep waters, such as around Japan, floating wind turbines are also being considered.
