bok%3A978-3-658-02462-8.pdf?auth66=1398409209_a0514c2b8e531c058ab8b810a0cad74d&ext=

26Chapter 4 • The RAVE research initiative12345678910111213141516171819204.1 IntroductionIn 2002, the German government set the target ofreaching 20 to 25 GW of offshore wind power capacityinstalled in German waters by 2030 (BMU2002). This planned rapid expansion was mainlydriven by political aims, but was soon supportedby a range of stakeholders, including the offshorewind energy industry. However, developing a newtechnology, a completely novel industrial sector andan innovative and independent research disciplinetakes more than just a wish. In 2007, when the firstoffshore windfarm was yet to be built in Germany,the government decided both to involve more stakeholdersand to provide substantial funding. With financialsupport from the Federal Ministry for theEnvironment, Nature Conservation and NuclearSafety (BMU), a trans-disciplinary consortiumwas established comprising representatives fromscience, industry and administration. This communityis known as the RAVE research initiative.RAVE (Research at Alpha VEntus) was set up to accompanythe construction and operation of alphaventus, Germany’s first offshore windfarm, with arange of research, development and demonstrationactivities. alpha ventus is the first big offshore windresearch and demonstration site worldwide, and hassince become a highly impressive research focus.-The initial objectives of RAVE were:To find solutions for a number of challengingissues in relation to the utilisation of offshorewind power in GermanyTo promote the use of and further develop the-technology for wind power at seaTo create a national offshore wind researchnetwork (BMU 2002, 2006).4.2 Actors and organisationOver 30 individual projects conducted by over50 universities, research organisations and companieshave now been carried out under the RAVEumbrella. More will be integrated into the consortiumover time. A range of large-scale, joint RAVEprojects have fostered both interdisciplinary collaborationand knowledge acquisition and transfer.The RAVE consortium provides an additional transdisciplinaryframework, resulting in a stunning poolof offshore wind power expertise. Scientists andmanagers actively and continuously provide solutionsand new know-how, thus contributing to attainmentof the RAVE targets.The heart of the RAVE consortium is the steeringcommittee, which orchestrates common activitiesoverall and brings together representativesfrom the joint projects, the test site operator, thetwo turbine manufacturers, the administrativesupervisor, Project Management Jülich (PtJ), andFraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and EnergySystem Technology (IWES), which coordinatesRAVE. Around 25 professors, scientists, projectleaders, decision makers and subcontractors meetregularly to inform each other about the status ofspecific projects, achievements made, bottlenecksand delays, and to decide about current strategicissues concerning the RAVE initiative. The steeringcommittee has proven to be a successful instrumentin exchanging scientific and operational experience,and serves as a starting point for new collaborationboth within the RAVE community and withexternal partners. The roles of the operator and themanufacturers in the consortium are of great importance.As owners of the turbines, the windfarmand the data, they support the measurement applicationsat the turbines. Additionally, as the tenantof the test site and as a major promoter of offshorewind power development in Germany, the GermanOffshore Wind Energy Foundation enabled the realisationof the test site. A big consortium such asRAVE clearly needs an overall coordination team.The coordination project, led by Fraunhofer IWESin Kassel, aims to link the RAVE projects, make useof synergies and communicate the initiative to thegeneral public.4.3 Measurements and dataFor the RAVE research projects – primarily appliedand demonstration projects – comprehensivemeasuring data is a must. A huge measurementprogramme has been set up at sea to conduct stateof-the-artscience. All measurements required forthe research projects are performed by a centralmeasurement service led by the Federal Maritime