Ever since the construction of the first wind farms began in the 1980s, the impact of wind turbines on the flow – the wake effect – has been a major focus not only in the field of wind energy research…

Efficient use of materials and a long lifespan are important KPIs in the optimization of offshore wind turbines. For future, larger support structures, which are particularly expected in wind farms at greater water depths, the behavior of the foundations, in…

When the wind passes through the rotor disc of a wind turbine with its rotating blades, the wind speed behind the turbine is reduced – the turbine extracts kinetic energy from the wind to convert it into electrical energy. This…

Under the slogan “Dare to make more progress”, the new traffic light coalition in the German government has big plans for the energy transition…it could be assumed. In fact, it has resolved to do the bare minimum in its power…

Many analyses in the field of wind energy are based on virtual models. However, these simulation models are not freely available for every real wind turbine. Fraunhofer IWES solves this problem with an innovative approach. Researchers at IWES are currently…

This summer, the Application Center for the Integration of Local Energy Systems (ILES) ran a one-week summer school in cooperation with Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) offering students the opportunity to learn how electrolyzers and wind turbines can be…

Part 3: Rapid testing of blade bearings – The first endurance run. In Part 1, I introduced the idea of an accelerated endurance run for blade bearings, which would consist of all wear-inducing cycles in direct succession. In Part 2,…

A controller or control system is an essential wind turbine component. In modern wind energy turbines, stable operation is not possible without a controller. As a research associate at Fraunhofer IWES, I work in the field of control technology for…

The deformation under load and the load distribution within the bearing are of great significance for the design of large rolling bearings such as rotor blade bearings. FE models are indispensable when it comes to determining the load distribution and…

Ever since the beginnings of the large-scale commercial use of wind energy in the 1990s, the industry has observed one considerable trend which remains steady to the present day: turbine growth. Recently, this trend has experienced another boost. In this…