ABSTRACT
Wind is considered one of the most important sources of renewable energy.Year after year, wind energy market has presented a consistent growth both for onshore (EWEA, 2014a, GWEC, 2014) and, more recently, offshore locations (EWEA, 2014b). The recent trend in the industry has been based on the increase of the power-output of the generators, alongside with the increase of the rotor and support structure dimensions. These characteristics have resulted in increasingly flexible structures, which demand a more accurate prediction of their dynamic behavior. Furthermore, the implementation of wind turbines offshore is still accompanied with high costs of installation, operation and maintenance. Thus, a remote monitoring system with the ability to predict structural changes, based on the variation of the modal parameters of the structure, can help to reduce catastrophic failures and their associated costs.
