Glossary

Aviation tracking system where aircraft broadcast GPS position. Used for helicopter tracking to/from offshore wind farms.

Maritime tracking system using VHF radio. All vessels broadcast position, speed, heading, and identity. Used for real-time vessel tracking in wind farm operations.

Software that combines condition monitoring data with analytics to optimize asset reliability and performance. Examples: AVEVA APM, Bazefield.

Analytics and reporting tools (PowerBI, Tableau) used to visualize operational data, track KPIs, and generate management reports.

US federal agency responsible for managing development of offshore energy resources, including leasing and environmental review.

US federal agency that enforces safety and environmental regulations for offshore energy operations.

German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. Manages offshore wind permitting in German waters.

GWO-certified training program covering: working at heights, first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, and sea survival. Required for all offshore wind technicians.

Military-derived concept for centralized operational management. In Miradoris context: a real-time interface for coordinating all offshore operations from a single screen.

Upfront investment to build a wind farm: turbines, foundations, cables, substations, installation. Typically $3,000-5,000/kW for offshore wind.

Danish fund management company focused on energy infrastructure investments. Co-owner of Vineyard Wind.

Software for managing work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, spare parts inventory, and maintenance history. IBM Maximo and SAP PM dominate the market.

Sensors (vibration, temperature, oil particle counters) installed on critical components to detect early degradation. Enables predictive maintenance.

Catamaran-style boat (20-30m) that transports technicians from port to turbines daily. Limited to ~1.5m significant wave height. Carries 12-24 technicians.

Turbine design without a gearbox. The generator is directly coupled to the rotor via a low-speed, high-torque permanent magnet generator. Used by Siemens Gamesa and GE Haliade.

Danish government agency for energy policy and offshore wind regulation.

International classification society providing certification, technical assurance, and advisory services for the energy industry.

Fiber optic technology that measures temperature along the entire length of a subsea cable. Used to detect cable faults and hotspots.

Broader category that includes CMMS functionality plus financial, procurement, and lifecycle management of physical assets.

Business management software (e.g., SAP) that integrates finance, HR, procurement, and operations. CMMS often connects to ERP for parts ordering and cost tracking.

US agency governing civil aviation. Relevant to offshore wind for aviation lighting requirements on turbines.

1,000 megawatts (MW). Used to describe large wind farm capacities. Dogger Bank is 3.6 GW total.

Non-profit body that sets safety training standards for the wind industry. GWO Basic Safety Training (BST) is mandatory for offshore access.

Average height of the highest one-third of waves. Key parameter for vessel access decisions. CTV limit: ~1.5m, SOV limit: ~2.5-3.0m.

Function responsible for workplace safety, environmental compliance, risk assessment, incident investigation, and emergency response planning.

Mandatory safety training for anyone traveling offshore by helicopter. Simulates helicopter ditching in water.

Transmission technology for efficiently sending electricity over long distances. Used for far-offshore wind farms (e.g., Dogger Bank). Requires converter stations.

International standard for wind turbine data models and communication. Aims to standardize how turbine data is structured and exchanged across vendors.

International standard for communication in electrical substations. Used in offshore substations for switchgear control and protection.

Standard for cybersecurity of industrial automation and control systems. Increasingly required for offshore wind SCADA integration.

Power semiconductor used in turbine power converters to convert variable-frequency AC to grid-compatible AC. Module failure is a common converter fault.

Metrics used to measure operational success: availability (%), capacity factor (%), energy yield vs forecast, safety incident rate, mean time to repair.

1,000 volts. Inter-array cables typically operate at 33-66 kV; export cables at 220 kV AC or HVDC.

Laser-based remote sensing technology. Used in offshore wind for measuring wind speed profiles at hub height, either from floating buoys or nacelle-mounted systems.

Lightweight messaging protocol designed for constrained networks. Increasingly used for IoT sensor data in wind farms.

1,000 kilowatts (kW). Used to describe individual turbine capacity. Modern offshore turbines are 13-15 MW.

Standard for communication between marine electronics (GPS, depth sounders, radar). Used in vessel navigation and tracking systems.

All activities involved in running and maintaining a wind farm after construction: monitoring, inspections, repairs, logistics, and reporting.

The turbine manufacturer (Siemens Gamesa, Vestas, GE Vernova). OEMs typically provide SCADA and often hold long-term service contracts (5-15 years).

UK-specific: Licensed entity that owns offshore transmission assets (substations, export cables) after construction is complete.

Industrial communication protocol for secure, reliable data exchange between systems. Key standard for connecting SCADA to external analytics platforms.

Ongoing costs of running a wind farm: maintenance, vessels, personnel, insurance, monitoring. Typically $40-80/kW/year for offshore wind.

Platform that collects power from inter-array cables, transforms to export voltage, and sends to shore. Contains transformers, switchgear, and sometimes accommodation.

Industrial computer that directly controls turbine systems (pitch, yaw, power converter). Executes control algorithms in real-time at the turbine level.

Tracking system for knowing exactly how many and which individuals are on a vessel or offshore installation at any time. Critical for emergency mustering.

Safety gear worn by technicians: hard hat, safety harness, steel-toe boots, coveralls, gloves, safety glasses. Offshore-specific PPE includes life jackets and immersion suits.

UK charity that provides lifeboat search and rescue services around the coast.

Underwater robot used for inspecting subsea cables, foundations, scour protection, and J-tubes without divers.

Measure of rotational speed. Offshore turbine rotors spin at ~10 RPM; gearboxes step up to ~1,500 RPM for the generator.

Central system that monitors and controls all turbines remotely. Records 10-min interval data (wind speed, power, temperatures, alarms). Usually OEM-provided and proprietary.

Large vessel (80-100m) with crew accommodation (40-90 berths), workshop, and motion-compensated gangway. Crews live aboard for 14-day rotations. Operates in Hs up to 2.5-3.0m.

Entity responsible for operating the high-voltage electricity transmission grid (e.g., National Grid ESO, TenneT).

US maritime law enforcement and safety agency. Plays a role in offshore wind safety regulations and emergency response.

Radio band used for maritime communications. Standard for vessel-to-shore and vessel-to-vessel communication in wind farm operations.

The complete turbine assembly: foundation, tower, nacelle, rotor, and all internal systems. A single modern offshore WTG can be 13-15 MW.