SIG44 Colloquium
Recent Advances in Turbulent Wind-Farm Dynamics - Report
Abstract booklet available on the event website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/aeronautics/ratwfd2026/
Colloquium on Recent Advances in Turbulent Wind Farm Dynamics took place on the 22nd - 24th April 2026 at Imperial College London, UK.
The orgainsers of the event reported: "We were delighted to have put together a programme that included 75 participants from institutions in 18 different countries. The organisation of this colloquium was motivated by exciting recent advancements in the understanding of the complex physics governing wind turbine and wind-farm wakes, with profound implications for the future of the wind-energy industry. This three-day event brought together leading experts from the turbulence and wind energy communities, including international scholars and industry professionals, to discuss the latest developments in the aerodynamics of turbulent wind-turbine and wind-farm wakes, both from fundamental and applied perspectives".
The scientific programme included 15 poster presentations, 3 keynote talks and 43 invited talks which all took place in Lecture Theatre 201 in the Skempton Building at Imperial College London. Lengthy scientific discussions flourished throughout the three days of the colloquium during the lunch and coffee breaks and the colloquium’s social programme. Full report from the event will be published in ERCOFTAC Bulletin.
Chair: Oliver Buxton, Imperial College London, UK
Co-Chairs:
- Michael Hölling, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg; ForWind - Center for Wind Energy Research, Oldenburg, Germany;
- Richard Stevens, Physics of Fluids Group, Max Planck Center Twente for Complex Fluid Dynamics, J.M. Burgers Center for Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Organising Committee: Martin Bourhis, Imperial College London, UK
Intended scientific scope, topics included:
To meet the 2050 climate targets, the European Union (EU) is pushing for an extraordinary scale-up of the wind industry, bringing with it extraordinary technological and scientific challenges. This massive and rapid transformation of the sector—aiming to increase offshore capacity nearly 30-fold in under 30 years — has been supported by a collaborative effort from both the scientific and industrial communities to tackle the numerous challenges it presents.
Wind turbines generate turbulent wakes, and because they are often clustered into wind farms for economic, logistical, and technical reasons, most wind turbines are exposed to upstream wakes, reducing their efficiency, increasing fatigue damage, and ultimately threatening the economic viability of wind farms. As more and increasingly larger turbines are installed, these issues will exacerbate in the run up to the 2050 targets.
The organization of this workshop is driven by exciting recent advancements in the understanding of the complex physics governing wind turbine and wind farm wakes, with profound implications for the future of the wind energy industry. This three-day colloquium aims to bring together leading experts from the turbulence and wind energy communities, including international scholars, industry professionals, and policymakers, to discuss the latest developments in the aerodynamics of turbulent wind turbine and wind farm wakes, both from fundamental and applied perspectives.
Colloquium website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/aeronautics/ratwfd2026/
Pilot
Special Interest
Knowledge
ERCOFTAC