Offshore wind turbine damage probability maps and hub height TC wind speeds for U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts exposed to historical and future tropical cyclones

Damage probability maps for offshore wind turbines exposed to tropical cyclones (TCs) under both historical and future climate scenarios along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are presented in this dataset. TCs are generated using The Risk Analysis Framework for Tropical Cyclones (RAFT), forced by CMIP6 historical and future global climate simulations. Maximum wind speeds for 20- and 50-year TCs are processed through a fragility function specific to offshore wind (OSW) turbines in order to estimate the probability of damage – specifically yielding and buckling – based on wind speed intensity. 

Included data:

TC wind speeds: Peak 10-min mean hub height (90m) TC wind speed maps

Damage states: Yielding and Buckling probability maps for OSW turbines

Geographic coverage: U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (up to 200km from the shoreline)

Time periods: Historic (1980-2014) and Future (2066-2100)

Methodology:

Tropical cyclone simulation: The RAFT TC model is used to simulate storms for historical and future climates using CMIP6 environmental conditions.

TC impact metric: Wind speeds associated with 20- and 50-year return period TCs are used to estimate the aerodynamic and sea wave loading on OSW turbines.

Fragility functions: Wind speeds are input into a fragility function developed for OSW turbines, estimating the probability of yielding and buckling damage.

Damage probability maps: The results consist of eight (8) gridded damage probability maps representing the likelihoods of yielding and buckling to OSW turbines from 20- and 50-year TCs under historical and future climatic conditions.

Potential Uses:

Assessing the spatial vulnerability of OSW infrastructure to TCs

Supporting decision-making for the design and siting of turbines

Evaluating the impact of climate change on the risk of damage to OSW infrastructure

For further insights into this dataset, users are encouraged to refer to the associated paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01887-6

This dataset offers valuable insights into the potential impact of TCs on offshore wind infrastructure, aiding in risk assessment and resilience planning for the renewable energy sector.