From turbine reliability to CO₂ reduction: SUDOCO redefines offshore wind sustainability metrics

Two new scientific papers recently published within SUDOCO contribute to the project's goal of developing a broader and more integrated approach to assessing the environmental and economic costs of offshore wind energy. One paper introduces a new method for quantifying the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within an energy system through wind power generation, while the other examines how the reliability and quality of turbine components affect operational costs and maintenance-related emissions.

The study "An initial study on the environmental value of wind farm control" (published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series and authored by S. Kainz, A. Scherzl, A. Guilloré, A. Anand, and C. L. Bottasso, all scholars from TU Munich) proposes a novel data-driven approach to measuring the environmental impact of wind energy. The study was conducted in collaboration with two other EU projects: MERIDIONAL and TWAIN. The work introduces the time-varying Marginal Displacement Factor (MDF), an innovative indicator that expresses the environmental benefit of wind generation in kilograms of CO₂ equivalent per megawatt-hour (MWh). The MDF provides a new approach to quantify greenhouse gas reductions in relation to increased wind energy production within the energy system. Using the German power system and the Wikinger offshore wind farm as a case study to showcase the method, a strong positive contribution to grid emission reduction—through wind energy generation in general, and wind farm control in particular—is identified.

In "Impact of reliability parameters on O&M cost and greenhouse gas emissions of offshore wind farms", authored by M. Gräfe, S. Kainz, A. Ludot, V. Pettas, A. Anand, and C. L. Bottasso, scholars from TU Munich and TU Delft and also published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series, the authors highlight how turbine component quality and reliability strongly influence both operational costs and maintenance-related emissions. This study too resulted from a joint effort with TWAIN. As explained by Samuel Kainz, Ph.D. candidate at TUM: "Improving reliability reduces failures, maintenance interventions, and vessel trips—yielding direct economic and environmental benefits. The study also emphasises the importance of including operation and maintenance processes in the overall greenhouse gas footprint assessment of wind farms, going beyond the production phase alone."

Both studies add a new piece to the broader vision of SUDOCO, advancing the development of an integrated approach to wind farm flow control aimed at maximising not only energy production but also the overall value of wind energy in terms of efficiency, cost, and environmental impact.

Contact details:

Samuel Kainz (samuel.kainz@tum.de)

Communication manager:

Giacomo Destro (giacomo.destro@icons.it)

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