The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has awarded Trinity College Dublin with a EUR 348,950 grant for research on interactions between offshore wind turbine foundations and soils.
David Igoe, an assistant professor in the School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, will lead the project exploring the dynamic interactions between the foundations and soils for offshore wind turbines.
The project is expected to lead to better engineering approaches and more efficient designs for fixed offshore wind turbines, which will ultimately reduce the cost of offshore wind in Ireland, the college said.
“A better understanding of soil damping, and how it affects the movement of an offshore wind turbine, can lead to big savings in the amount of steel needed for the foundation and tower supporting the turbine ,” Igoe said.
“This project will develop new guidelines for engineers designing the next generation of offshore wind turbines. “