In the future, a large part of Germany’s electricity requirement is intended to come from offshore wind farms in order to utilise the favourable wind conditions there. This represents unknown territory in both technical and ecological terms, and is taking place in sensitive biotopes. Three largely remote-controlled research platforms have therefore been constructed in the North and Baltic Seas (FINO). In particular it is being investigated into how the wind actually behaves above the sea and how much electricity can be generated. The data will be incorporated into the planning, design and certification of future farms.

The prevailing climate at sea is often very harsh, even for wind turbines that are produced using very high quality components as a standard. The wind turbines therefore have to be specially adapted and designed for use at sea. It is only then that they can reliably withstand wind, waves and the salty atmosphere without technicians having to be constantly called out by ship or helicopter to carry out repairs outside the normal maintenance intervals.

The reliability of the wind turbines is therefore an important factor for the planned massive expansion and the economic viability of offshore wind farms. In order to have precise planning data available and to close gaps in knowledge for the purpose of designing and operating wind farms, automatic research platforms have been constructed that are equipped with scientific measurement instruments. These are FINO 1 (2003, North Sea), FINO 2 (2007, Baltic Sea) and FINO 3 (2009, North Sea).