The FarmConners project supports the implementation and industrialisation of Wind Farm Control (WFC) as an additional feature for the development and operation of wind power plants. It brings together actors in all relevant fields connected with the market uptake of WFC: research institutes, industry and certification agencies. FarmConners will coordinate a reliable assessment of the WFC possibilities, promising more green power from existing and upcoming assets for the price of a software update. WFC technology brings a collaborative approach to wind power plant design and operation, mitigating the losses due to turbine-turbine interaction within the plant. Accordingly, it promises an increase in power production and a decrease in structural loads while providing better integration of wind power in the grid. Additionally, it enables better revenue management, especially for the upcoming flexible electricity markets, making wind power “market fit”, which in turn decreases the project cost and increases the share of the leading green power source. FarmConners will provide a unique platform for the marketability of this feature; bringing the state-of-the-art achievements, ongoing projects and industrial interest together to remove barriers for commercial implementation of WFC.

STEP4WIND aims at increasing the commercial readiness level of floating offshore wind energy through technological innovations across the supply chain. Floating wind turbines (FOWTs) could be a game changer to further decrease the cost of offshore wind energy and unlock new markets. Wind turbines placed on a floating support and moored to the seabed can harness energy in areas with much higher wind speeds, at a reduced installation cost. It also gives the opportunity to countries with deep water to enter the offshore wind industry. The SET-Plan stresses that Europe needs to move fast in deploying FOWTs. It also highlights the urgency to widen the basic knowledge of early-stage researchers (ESRs) towards the design of FOWTs and match it with industrial needs. This European Industrial Doctorate programme will achieve this by delivering 10 doctoral degrees jointly supervised by the public and private sectors. The ESRs will be supervised by 3 universities with a track-record in wind energy research and 5 companies leading the deployment of floating wind farms and heavily involved in policy-making bodies. A mentoring scheme will be tailored to the needs of each ESR, with the involvement of several female senior staff. Scientifically, STEP4WIND will develop floating-specific tools, methods and infrastructures to tackle the technological and economical challenges of FOWTs, from design to deployment, operation and scaling up. The innovations from each ESR will be systematically integrated in a common multi-disciplinary design and optimisation tool to assess their impact on cost, risk and the environment. STEP4WIND will also deliver guidelines for large farm deployments, with a clear roadmap to commercialisation. The results will be disseminated openly in a series of innovative ways, including an online game and a design competition. STEP4WIND will also take part in large outreach initiatives, such as the TORQUE2020 outreach events organised by the Coordinator in May 2020.