Oldenburg. "Wind Energy and the Impact of Turbulence on the Conversion Process" is the title of the EUROMECH Colloquium 528, which will take place at the University of Oldenburg from 22 to 24 February. ForWind, the centre for wind energy research at the universities of Oldenburg, Hanover and Bremen, is organising the symposium, which is expected to attract more than 80 experts from 17 nations. The conference is being organised under the auspices of the European Mechanics Society (EUROMECH), an international non-profit scientific society that supports the development of mechanics in the field of natural sciences and engineering in Europe. Oldenburg physicist and ForWind board member Prof Dr Joachim Peinke and Prof Dr Stefan Ivanell, Professor of Energy Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), are the scientific chairs of the conference. Turbulence is an everyday phenomenon, but it is very difficult to calculate, explains Peinke. "Turbulence has been little researched, especially in the field of wind energy. The latest research results are barely recognised by the wind industry. The conference focuses on this problem and links turbulence research with the rapidly growing wind energy industry," says the scientist.

Turbulence, and in particular gustiness, is characterised by fluctuating wind conditions on small, medium and large scales. As a result, wind turbines are exposed to up to 100 million gusts of wind in 20 years of operation - and this means extreme challenges for technology and materials. The international scientists are therefore focussing on questions of aerodynamics, meteorology and fundamental turbulence in atmospheric wind fields. They are also investigating how turbulence on rotor blades can be influenced and controlled and how material fatigue caused by alternating loads on wind turbines can be recognised at an early stage.

Other topics at the conference include the flow conditions in individual wind turbines and their interaction within large offshore wind farms, such as those built in the North and Baltic Seas. The experts will present the latest research in laser-optical measurement methods (e.g. MultiLIDAR), which can be used to analyse wind currents, turbulence and shadowing of wind turbines, and will discuss simulation models for wind flow conditions in complex terrain.

The keynote lecture will be given by Prof. Dr Peter Tavner, Professor of New & Renewable Energy and Head of the School of Engineering at Durham University, on Wednesday 22 February at 9.00 am. Tavner is the current President of the European Academy of Wind Energy (EAWE). In his presentation, Tavner will discuss how turbulence affects the reliability of wind turbines and their components.

To the conference website

Contact: Prof. Dr Joachim Peinke, Institute of Physics, Tel.: 0441/798-3536, Email:

[13 February 2012]