Environmental Severity Classes for Main Electrical Components in Offshore Wind Turbine

This paper works toward a better understanding of how the environmental operating conditions for offshore wind turbine electrical components should be quantified. Different aspects of the operating environment are introduced and discussed, with reference to their relevance in offshore wind turbines.

When speaking of the ‘main electrical components’, the distinction ‘main’ implies that the load current passes through the component. Components which are the main topic of this discussion are therefore generators, power converters, and power transformers.