The OWSplus project is a German‑led, multi‑partner effort aimed at advancing the design, construction, installation and operation of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT). The consortium, based largely in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, brings together shipbuilding, offshore wind, civil engineering and electronics expertise to create a standardized, modular system carrier that can be deployed in water depths from 100 m to 500 m. The project is funded by the German federal government and runs over several years, with the first phase focusing on the development of both mono‑floater and multi‑floater carriers that accommodate turbines with a 240 m rotor diameter, a 156 m hub height and a gondola mass of up to 1 000 t. By providing a self‑floating platform, the carriers eliminate the need for heavy transport vessels, thereby reducing logistical costs and simplifying installation.
A core technical achievement of the project is the comprehensive load simulation for floating wind turbines. Using finite‑element models that incorporate realistic environmental conditions—wave, wind, current and ice loads—the team validated the structural integrity of the carriers for eight representative sites. The simulations demonstrate that the carriers can withstand extreme loading scenarios while maintaining deflection limits within design specifications. The adaptive cross‑module tree methodology, a novel design approach, allows rapid reconfiguration of the carrier geometry to match turbine specifications, improving manufacturability and reducing weight.
The project also delivers an advanced sensor suite for real‑time monitoring of the floating structure. The sensor catalogue includes MEMS inclinometers for tilt measurement, MEMS and piezoelectric accelerometers for vibration, displacement measurement sensors (DMS, FBGS) for strain, deflection sensors for blade bending, and electro‑chemical sensors for grout‑steel bond integrity, salinity, oxygen and temperature. Additional sensors monitor gas content, impulse travel time for collision detection, and seawater conductivity, pressure and temperature. These units are integrated into a state‑of‑the‑art monitoring platform that provides continuous health data, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing downtime.
Anchoring solutions are another key deliverable. The consortium explored alternative mooring systems that minimise seabed footprint while ensuring stability under dynamic loading. The designs incorporate lightweight, high‑strength materials and allow for rapid deployment and retrieval. Coupled with the state‑of‑the‑art condition assessment framework, the anchoring system supports a full product‑life‑cycle approach to maintenance planning.
The collaboration structure of OWSplus is tightly aligned with the growth core of the German offshore wind industry. Each partner contributes a distinct capability: shipyards provide modular construction techniques, wind turbine manufacturers supply turbine specifications, and electronics firms deliver the sensor and monitoring architecture. The consortium’s integrated approach ensures that design, fabrication, installation and operation are optimised for cost, performance and reliability.
In summary, the OWSplus project delivers a suite of technical innovations—standardised mono‑ and multi‑floater carriers, validated load‑simulation models, an adaptive design methodology, a comprehensive sensor network, and low‑footprint anchoring systems—that collectively advance the feasibility of floating offshore wind farms. The collaborative framework, backed by national funding, positions Germany as a leader in the emerging floating wind market and provides a scalable blueprint for future projects worldwide.