For renewable energies to be sustainable in the future, their impact and harmful effects on the environment should be minimum.
Recent evidence suggests that offshore wind turbines can have an acoustic damaging impact on marine life due to the sustained generation of noise, which propagates very efficiently underwater. WiTON will perform detailed numerical simulations using HPC platforms to provide insights into the physics governing the aero/hydro-acoustic generation and propagation for offshore wind farms. Control of these physics will later enable the design of silent offshore farms that support renewable energy with zero acoustic impact.
First, the project will perform simulations of fixed (anchored) and floating offshore wind turbines and assess the generation and propagation of noise into the ocean. Second, they will include groups of turbines to assess the interactions and acoustic modifications when in proximity of each other. Third, using the simulated wind turbines they will develop reduced other models to mimic the noise emission at a low cost.
WiTON will enable new designs of silent farms that minimise the acoustic impact while ensuring energy production. Major advances in multidisciplinary aspects are expected, including fluid mechanics, numerical simulations, aero/hydro-acoustics and offshore wind turbine physics.