Offshore Wind Research

For more than 19 years, NREL has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to become an international leader in offshore wind energy research.

Leveraging our broad-based expertise and world-class facilities, NREL partners with industry, the research community, and other government agencies to map a swift, direct, and enduring route to commercially viable offshore development.

Areas of Expertise

• Development of offshore wind national and international standards
• Resource characterization and forecasting
• Modeling and validation for next-generation offshore wind turbine and plant technologies
• Systems engineering and optimization of next-generation floating wind turbines, mooring systems, support structures
• High-fidelity modeling using high-performance computing
• Wind farm flow controls
• Structural health monitoring
• Stakeholder engagement and workforce training
• Evaluation and development of technical solutions to environmental and siting challenges associated with U.S. offshore wind energy development

Learn more about NREL's expertise and capabilities via the wind energy research pages.

Current Projects

Aerodynamic Turbines Lighter and Afloat with Nautical Technologies and Integrated Servo-control (ATLANTIS)

Atlantic Offshore Wind Transmission Study

Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind Transmission Study

Floating Offshore Wind Array Design

International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaboration Programme (IEA Wind)

Mitigation Strategies for Fishing

Offshore Wind Techno-Economic Analysis and Modeling

Offshore Wind Market Assessment

Offshore Wind Resource Assessment

Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment

Offshore Wind Workforce Safety Standards and Training Resource on WINDExchange

Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind Energy

West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Study (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

West Coast Ports Strategy Study

Contact

As the offshore wind energy market expands around the coastal United States, further information can be found by reaching out to the contacts below or on the above project pages.