Reference wind turbines (RWTs)—open-access designs of a complete wind turbine system, with supporting models for simulation and design—make it possible to evaluate the performance and cost of proposed modifications before prototype development.
NREL recently released the International Energy Agency 15-megawatt reference turbine, or IEA 15-MW for short, which features options for both fixed-bottom turbines and those with floating substructures. This open-source model, now available on GitHub, can accommodate multiple software tools and will provide industry, researchers, and academics a public-domain tool for designing next-generation offshore wind turbines. The IEA 15-MW was partially funded by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office.
