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A new EU-funded project will support Europe’s energy transition by creating more resilient, decarbonised energy systems by advancing hydrogen electrolysers.

Fraunhofer IWES and Fugro Germany Marine GmbH have successfully completed the Geophysical Site Characterization of the N-9.5 area in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the North Sea. The survey was conducted for the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie BSH) during April and May 2025. The campaign included recording both Sub-Bottom Profiler and Ultra-High-Resolution Multi-Channel Seismic data (UHR MCS) for a dense grid of 2,349 kilometers of survey lines. Thus, an area-wide overview of the geological setting is created.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has launched the “IWES Digital Hub”, a central platform for digital solutions from wind energy research. The web application has been online since mid-January and makes selected software tools from the institute available for industry and research. The aim is to visibly bundle the digital expertise of Fraunhofer IWES, facilitate access to the tools developed, validated, and tested at the institute, and thus make the planning, design, and operation of wind farms more efficient.

Europe's offshore wind energy sector faces complex challenges – from new tender designs and technical developments to site assessments and social acceptance. However, a comprehensive project evaluation system that takes all these points into account is still lacking. The EU project WindSCORE, which has been launched in December 2025, is developing a scientifically based 360° evaluation toolbox within the next three years, that incorporates economic, technical, sustainability-oriented, and social criteria, thereby supporting investors and stakeholders. To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has joined forces with its partners Fondation Open-C, SINTEF, Statnett, TÜV SÜD, Bio-Littoral, and Equinor. The project is co-funded by PTJ/BMWE, Germany, RPL France and RCN Norway as part of the EU initiative Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP).

The follow-up project H₂HUBᴾˡᵘˢ starts in December 2025. Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS will offer cross-linked training courses in the field of hydrogen for specialists and managers from the energy sector and industry in Central Germany, as well as for students, pupils and the general public. The interconnected learning alliance will also provide important impulses for the success of the hydrogen economy in the follow-up project.

Due to a contract with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has once again installed two lidar measuring buoys in the North Sea. The buoys will collect data for a twelve-month measurement campaign for the preliminary meteorological investigation of area N-9.5 as part of the area development plan. Fraunhofer IWES can draw on its experience from previous projects for these complex preliminary investigations. It is thus contributing to the successful offshore expansion in the coming years.

In the "WindKI" research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES and the AI company LATODA are developing a new method that detects performance losses in wind turbines at an early stage. The aim of the multi-year project is to implement an AI-supported diagnostic system that will enable objective and data-driven performance optimization of the turbines. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.

Oldenburg/Bremerhaven - The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has put an innovative wind radar system into operation that enables three-dimensional wind field measurements at unprecedented distances and resolution. The so-called Dual Doppler Wind Radar, consisting of two synchronously operating radar units, was set up near the DLR research wind farm WiValdi in the district of Stade in Lower Saxony and has been delivering measurement data for the first time since the beginning of June. The radar system was developed and built by the company SmartWind Technologies from Texas, USA. As part of the "Wind farm RADAR" project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the radar system is being scientifically validated for the first time by the Fraunhofer IWES in collaboration with ForWind - Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. The aim is to make this fundamentally new technology for wind field measurements usable for the wind industry and to offer it as a service for planners and operators in the long term. The project has the potential to fundamentally revolutionize the understanding of wind flows in and around wind farms.

In the North Sea, dense installations of offshore wind farms are planned in several regions. The resulting wake effects of large offshore wind farm clusters are of great importance for the calculation of energy yields. Current models often only allow for an inaccurate representation of these effects. In the tri-national joint research project EuroWindWakes, the partners from Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark aim to significantly increase the accuracy of forecasts to enable optimized maritime spatial planning and allow reliable forecasting of power production. For this, Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES has joined forces with its partners Technical University of Denmark, Delft University of Technology, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Pondera Consult, EMD International, DHI and the associated partners RWE, BP, EnBW and TotalEnergies. The research project started in late 2024 and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) in Germany, Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP) in Denmark and The Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO as part of the EU initiative Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP).