Wind energy is crucial for realizing climate neutrality, energy independence, and energy security. With the increased penetration of renewables in the electricity grid, there is a strong need for control technology to determine the number of electrons to produce and their destination (e.g., grid, storage, hydrogen) for maximum value to the energy system. Whereas the technology available on the market exclusively maximizes the energy yield, the future lies with optimization for cost of valued energy (COVE), which considers energy security, storage, fluctuating electricity prices, turbine component wear, and turbine lifetime. Therefore, SUDOCO will develop open-source technology for resilient, and data-enabled offshore wind farm control and co-design. We will use key aspects and insights in wind farm operation to develop the Control Room of the Future that will allow operators to control wind farm output and loads by minimizing the COVE. SUDOCO will combine novel dynamic control algorithms, hybrid physics-based and data-driven models for the design of physical farms considering their governing control laws, which are safeguarded against adversarial threats and third-party fraud. Our data driven integrated control tool chain will be trained, validated and optimized using several high-fidelity datasets. These include data from full-scale dedicated wake steering control experiments performed at the 69 11-MW turbines in the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm. We will also perform unprecedented wind farm control experiments with scaled wind turbine models in the largest boundary layer wind tunnel in Europe. SUDOCO will target a COVE reduction of 10%, and includes means to minimize environmental impact as well as address the variability of the wind resource. SUDOCO will deliver the first intelligent integrated wind farm control and design solution for reliable, safe, and cost- effective operation of large bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind farms.

In the face of increasing global competition and Europe's urgent need for energy independence, renewable energy is becoming the driving force of the future. Offshore wind energy is poised to lead this transition, particularly in deep waters where consistent winds and abundant space offer unparalleled potential. However, current floating wind solutions simply adapt horizontal-axis wind turbines from onshore and fixed-bottom offshore designs, a method that fails to fully optimize efficiency for floating environments The VERTI-GO project introduces an innovative floating vertical-axis wind turbine, specifically designed for offshore conditions from its inception. This technology offers key advantages over the current state-of-the-art floating wind solutions: - Simplified maintenance – The turbine eliminates the need for costly and time-consuming transport to shore for major repairs, reducing downtime. - Integrated design – By merging the tower and floater into a single structure, manufacturing and assembly processes are streamlined. - Lower CAPEX – The turbine’s lower center of gravity enables the use of a smaller spar floater, reducing material requirements and overall costs. Having already reached TRL5 with a 30kW demonstrator, the VERTI-GO project aims to scale up the technology to a 2MW floating wind demonstrator, operating in real conditions for 15 months. To achieve this, the project brings together key actors from across the offshore wind value chain, collaborating in three structured phases: planning and design, procurement, and operation. Given that the projected €15M funding is not sufficient for full deployment, the project will develop a comprehensive external funding strategy, integrating both public and private investment sources. End-user partners and additional contributors will be engaged to explore viable financing solutions. A go/no-go decision will be taken based on the outcomes of the external funding plan, planning phase, and feasibility

FLOATFARM aims to significantly advance the maturity and competitiveness of floating offshore wind (FOW) technology by increasing energy production, achieving significant cost reductions within the design and implementation phases, improving offshore wind value chain and supporting EU companies in this growing sector. Ultimately, FLOATFARM aims to decrease negative environmental impacts on marine life and to enhance the public acceptability of FOW, thereby accelerating the EU energy transition. To this end, a number of critical technologies have been identified as key catalysts. They apply to different conceptual scales, from individual floating offshore wind turbine level (Action 1) to farm level (Action 2) and environmental and socio-economic perspectives (Action 3). Innovations will be introduced into: 1) ROTOR TECHNOLOGY, where innovative rotor designs for improved energy capture will be explored in a co-design approach with innovative control techniques, improved floaters, and a groundbreaking generator concept; 2) MOORING AND ANCHORING, where shared mooring and innovative dynamic cabling will be investigated; 3) WIND FARM CONTROL, where novel control strategies will be exploited to increase the farm power density, and 4) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MITIGATION, where marine noise emissions and impacts on marine species of FOW farms will be addressed, innovative artificial reefs will be pioneered and social acceptance will be studied. To ensure that effective solutions are pursued and TRL5 can be achieved, FLOATFARM adopts a holistic approach that combines innovative designs, experimental demonstration at laboratory scale, modelling with a suite of beyond state-of-the-art numerical tools, and demonstration in a unique open-sea laboratory, where a new 1:7 scale 15MW FOWT will be tested in combination with novel floaters, moorings and controls, ensuring systematic assessment and validation that are thus far unprecedented in FOWT research.