Laura Govoni

Foundations for offshore wind turbines. The study is aimed at innovative solutions for offshore wind turbine foundation systems, with particular attention to direct suction caisson type foundations. The behavior of these structures under cyclic and monotonic load has recently been investigated in collaboration with the Fraunhofer research institute IWES (Hannover). The need to investigate and/or test innovative solutions for the development of offshore wind farms is currently more felt in areas where onshore installations are preferred or prevalent, compared to contexts where technologies for the supply of offshore wind energy are well established. For this reason, research has recently turned to the optimization of performance and the consequent reduction of costs for the development of offshore wind farms in Italy starting from the site-specific design of the structure which includes the foundation and the transition element together with the crucial aspects of installation and removal.