Offshore Wind Energy – Design of Substructures – online course

Offshore Wind Energy – Design of Substructures
Through the course, you will learn about offshore wind energy and the engineering methods used within this specific field of wind energy.
You will touch upon several different subjects relevant to engineers working with offshore wind energy and substructure.
During the course, you will be working with the following:
- Offshore wind turbines and wind farms
- Overview of offshore design codes like IEC 61400-3-1
- Calculation of wave loads in linear regular and irregular waves by the Morison equation
- Engineering methods for computation of rotor loads
- Offshore environmental conditions – design basis
- Wakes
- Substructure types – monopile, jacket, gravity based – and their relative strengths
- Design methods for monopiles
- Floating wind turbines (technology, modelling etc.)
- Soil models
- Cost of offshore wind energy
Learning objectives
Once you have completed the course, you will be able to:
- Describe the main elements of offshore wind turbine systems and the differences to land based turbines.
- Be familiar with the content of the offshore turbine design standard IEC 61400-3.
- Calculate a force time series from linear irregular waves.
- Apply simplistic rotor load time series as part of a fatigue calculation and understand the concept of aerodynamic damping.
- Explain the basics of wake effects inside offshore wind farms.
- Describe the typical foundation types for bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines and decide on foundation types (floating, jacket, monopile).
- Explain the basic dynamics of bottom fixed offshore wind turbines and the method for fatigue calculations.
- Apply the elements of a design basis together with simplified models for conceptual design of a substructure.
- Determine the natural frequency for an offshore wind turbine support structure using approximate formulas.
- Comprehend the economics of levelized cost of energy.

Floating Wind Turbines
Henrik Bredmose tells about the possibilities and benefits floating wind turbines bring about.
Admission
Admission to the course requires a B.Sc. or B.Eng. degree or higher and at least, two years of relevant working experience.
The relevant working experience could be – but is not necessarily restricted to – employment in:
- The wind energy industry.
- Oil and gas companies.
- Shipping companies.
- Companies performing environmental assessment.
- Public agencies with responsibilities related to engineering and natural sciences.
- Since the programme is taught in English, you must have proficient English skills.
Recommended prerequisites
In addition to the admission requirements above, we strongly recommend that you have mathematics and programming skills equivalent to B.Sc. or B.Eng. level or higher.
If you have few or no programming experiences, we recommend following our Scientific Programming for Wind Energy course as early as possible.
Technical requirements
You will need a PC with a stable internet connection to follow this online course.
Course platform
All master courses run on the web based course platform DTU Learn. Once you access the platform, all the courses you are signed up for, become available for you – after the semester start day.
Learning online
The course is divided in 13 modules, one per week in the semester. Each module includes a combination of video lectures, exercises, quizzes and/or reading material depending on the module. This course material is available any time to allow for flexible studying conditions.
Furthermore, you are offered weekly live Q&A sessions to get in dialogue with the course lecturer and fellow participants.
Exam
This course is concluded with an online conducted exam.
Please contact our Master of Wind Energy staff if you wish to know more about the type of assessment.
Sign up and prices
You can follow the course as a single course or as part of the programme Master in Wind Energy.
Single course
If you wish to follow this course as a single course, please add the course to the basket and fill in the required information.
Part of the Online Master of Wind Energy
You can study this course as part of the Master in Wind Energy. If you wish to follow the course as part of the full Master’s programme, please go the the site for the Online Master in Wind Energy, click the sign up button, and follow the instructions.
Prices
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Courses of 5 ECTS points | 15,000 DKK |
| Final Project of 15 ECTS points | 38,000 DKK |
| Full Master’s programme | 173,000 DKK |
The state subsidy for part-time education is determined in the Finance Act for one year at a time. DTU reserves the right to make any adjustments to the participant payment.
Terms of payment
When registering for courses or modules your payment should preferably be made by credit card at our website.
You can also choose invoice payment with a payment term of 30 days. Be aware that invoices will be issued in DKK. Payment transfer in EUR is possible if more convenient to you. However, remember to include the invoice number in the transfer information.
You can only participate in the class once the payment of tuition fee has been registered. We reserve the right to deregister the participant in the event of non-payment. Courses may be cancelled due to insufficient enrolments, for example. In case of cancellation of a purchased course or module, the tuition fee is refunded.
N.B: You will not be charged until your application has been read through and approved.
Application
Apply for one or more course(s) in the Master of Wind Energy programme by adding the course(s) to the cart here and uploading your documents at the “check-out” stage. You will not be charged until your application has been read through and approved.
How to apply
If you wish to apply for admission to the Master of Wind Energy programme or individual courses, please attach the following documents. Note that applications MUST include all the below documents.
- Diploma(s) for prior education. The diplomas should be certified diploma(s) in English.
- CV. Clearly state where you have worked, in what period, and what relevant assignments you have carried out.
- Copy of passport
- Transcript of grades: an overview of your grades from your prior education in English.
- Letter of motivation. Max. 1 page. Your letter is a part of the application and will count towards the total assessment of your application.
When we have received your application, we will carry out a screening for both the formal and academic admission requirements.
You will be notified about the outcome by email as fast as possible.
Application deadlines
Deadline for Autumn semester is June 1st.
Deadline for Spring semester is December 10th.
If you missed the application deadline, we still advise you to apply because remaining places are granted on a first come first serve basis
Registration
| Start | September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 13 weeks |
| Place | Online |
| Price |
15.000,00 DKK |
|---|
Questions?
Contact Henrik Bredmose
(For course specific questions only)
Phone: (+45) 45 25 43 15
Email: hbre@dtu.dk
Questions?
Contact DTU Learn for Life
Phone: (+45) 45 25 45 25
Email: learnforlife@dtu.dk
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