ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some novel structural and foundation systems that might be employed for offshore wind turbines. The foundation of the structure transfers the forces from the structure to the surrounding soil. This is a critical part of the design of a wind-turbine structure. The turbines employed offshore are larger, with current projects mainly using 2MW turbines. Moving offshore will allow the use of very large wind turbines capable of supplying typically 3.5MW, installed in farms of 50 or more turbines. Computational analysis of offshore structures requires: the modelling of the structural response, including dynamics, of the structure; the evaluation and modelling of the wind, wave and current environment; and the accurate modelling of the interaction of the structure with the ground through the foundation. Wind-turbine structures, like jack-ups, are dynamically sensitive structures, and modelling their foundations can be achieved using similar approaches.
