Emerging technologies unlocking offshore wind power: a review

Offshore wind power (OWP) plays a vital role in Energy Transition towards Net Zero, and recently 9 European countries planned to unlock 120 GW of OWP in the North Sea by 2030, and 300 GW by 2050, bringing new opportunities and challenges to OWP research and industry practice. This paper summarises the most advanced technologies for each stage of developing OWP, including OWP generation, transmission, and integration. Starting from the fundamental concepts and applications, this paper firstly introduces the four types of offshore wind turbines (OWT), and compares fixed-bottom OWTs and floating OWTs. Then normal frequency and low frequency AC as well as DC technologies are illuminated for OWP transmission where the Grid Forming (GFM) technology is highlighted in detail. Battery Energy Storage System (BDSS) and Hydrogen Generation embedded with offshore wind farms (OWF) are also explored. By comparing the most recent industry projects of OWF worldwide, this paper explores the application trends of the most advanced technologies applied. In addition, the newest developments of the OWF modelling are also summarised and analysed. In the end, this paper analyses the challenges, limitations and developing trends of the emerging technologies, and provides potential solutions to OWP development. The outcomes of this paper could provide advice to system planning and policy making.