Media release

From: Springer Nature

Climate: Extreme winds could push turbines beyond their limits

More than 40% of existing and planned offshore wind farm sites in Europe and Asia are being exposed to wind speeds above the maximum design load of some classes of turbine, according to a study in Nature Communications. These findings highlight the need for better adaptation of offshore wind energy infrastructure to increase resilience to extreme wind events associated with climate change.

Offshore wind energy is a key component of the global transition to renewable energy. Offshore wind farms must be able to endure challenging environments and are built with different maximum wind speed design load depending on their class (Class III having the lowest limit, followed by Class II and Class I having the highest limit). Recent research has suggested that extreme wind events are becoming more intense due to global climate change, raising the question of whether existing and planned projects are equipped for this additional stress.

Yanan Zhao and colleagues analysed hourly wind speed data from between 1940 and 2023 across global oceans. They found extreme wind speeds increased in approximately 63% of oceanic coastal regions, often associated with weather system changes under global warming.  The authors found that more than 40% of both commissioned and planned offshore farms in Asia and Europe have encountered wind speeds exceeding the current design load for Class III turbines (designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 37.5 metres per second). More than half of these wind farms are situated in regions with increasing extreme wind trends, a pattern which the authors suggest is associated with changes to cyclone activity under global warming.

The findings of this study underscore the need to adapt and protect wind energy infrastructure from intensifying extreme winds associated with continued climate change.