The 12th European Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring (EWSHM 2026) took place in Toulouse, France, from July 7 to 10, 2026. The conference is considered Europe’s leading forum for structural health monitoring and brings together researchers and industry experts to discuss current developments in the fields of monitoring technologies, damage detection, sensor technology, data-driven methods, and structural integrity.

A team from the Institute of Structural Analysis (ISD) at Leibniz University Hannover presented several research papers from the Vibrations Department in Toulouse. These included recent work from the Living Lab 70 GW Offshore Wind, which addresses research questions related to the structural monitoring of offshore wind turbines and other current topics from the living lab’s work.

The exchange with the international SHM community provided valuable insights for further research in the living lab and underscores the close ties between our research and the international academic community.

With the HE681 research expedition, the Living Lab 70 GW Offshore Wind successfully completed the second round of field data collection. In June 2026, a team of scientists from the ICBM Oldenburg, the Ludwig-Franzius Institute, and the ISD Hannover was out on the German North Sea aboard the research vessel Heincke. At the same time, measurement flights were conducted by the Institute of Flight Control at the Technical University of Braunschweig.

Looking Back: First Trip in Fall 2025

As early as the fall of 2025, the first cruise (HE671) laid the foundation for the emerging dataset. Immediately following a fall storm, the mission provided valuable insights into the aftermath of extreme weather events. This allowed measurements to be taken not only under typical conditions but also under pronounced dynamic influences. Highlights included the deployment and recovery of free-floating drifters, the documentation of flow directions and velocities on three different spatial scales (on a large scale in and around entire wind farms, in the near field of individual wind turbines, and through stationary long-term measurements at two mooring sites), as well as the analysis of the water body’s optical, physical, and biological properties.

Spring 2026: Focus on Seasonal Changes

In the German North Sea, seasonal changes play a crucial role. While well-mixed conditions dominate in the fall and winter, a stable stratification of water masses with varying temperatures and densities begins to form in the spring. A specific focus of the research cruise was therefore to document the differences compared to the first cruise. The key question was how the altered current patterns around individual wind turbines and entire wind farms might influence this stratified state.

First-ever coordinated measurement campaign from the air and water

In addition to the first retrieval of the long-term monitoring stations—which provide a dataset covering the past seven months—a particular highlight was the coordinated implementation of an extensive measurement program as part of the overall project. This included, among other things, aerial surveys conducted by the Institute of Flight Control at the Technical University of Braunschweig as well as LiDAR measurements by ForWind Oldenburg. This combined data collection made it possible for the first time to conduct a closely integrated analysis of various scales, methods, and overarching processes in the water column and the atmosphere.

The research aircraft from the Technical University of Braunschweig (Institute of Flight Control)—a Cessna F406 equipped with a five-hole probe on the nose boom and additional atmospheric sensors—was operating in coordination with the Heincke. While the ship collected water and current data in the wind farm, the aircraft flew over the same area at the same time, recording how wind farms altered the wind field and the ocean surface. This resulted in a simultaneous dataset extending from the water column through the sea surface and into the atmosphere—a combination that is unique worldwide.

Through measurements taken in and around offshore wind farms during a total of four research cruises from 2025 to 2027, a unique dataset on the interaction between offshore wind farms and the marine environment will be collected.

More information on the measurement campaigns: reallabor.offshore.uol.de/messkampagnen/

At the invitation of the two regional development offices in Lüneburg and Weser-Ems and the Living Lab 70GW Offshore Wind, on June 25,2026, approximately 30 experts from the districts and municipalities of the coastal region, the agencies, companies, environmental protection organizations, and citizens’ initiatives, as well as from the academic community, gathered in Cuxhaven to discuss the expansion of offshore wind energy and its societal challenges.

To get us in the mood, we took a factory tour in the morning at the local Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy plant. With 1,500 employees, Siemens Gamesa manufactures turbines for offshore wind turbines in Cuxhaven. These turbines are the size of a multi-story single-family home. The absolute highlight of the factory tour was, accordingly, the opportunity to see the inside of one of these turbines.

The subsequent workshop focused on interim results from two subprojects of the living lab and from a project by the living lab project partner, the Helmholtz Center Hereon.

Klaus-Peter Buss of the Göttingen Institute for Sociological Research (SOFI) gave a presentation on the social prerequisites for offshore expansion and discussed two key obstacles to achieving the expansion goals: the necessary expansion of ports and the increasingly evident shortage of skilled workers.

Andreas Kannen and Jürgen Schaper (both from Helmholtz Hereon) presented their research on the development of the fishing industry and discussed what lessons could be drawn for regional development.

In conclusion, Sophie Berg and Bernd Siebenhüner from Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg asked how the burdens and benefits of offshore expansion are perceived by stakeholders and those affected, how these burdens can be distributed more fairly, and what role participatory processes can play in this regard. In a concluding World Café session, the workshop participants discussed issues of regional coordination, opportunities for involvement and participation, and ways to ensure that offshore expansion is environmentally sustainable.

The questions and comments regarding the presentations and the work at the World Café stations yielded numerous suggestions and ideas that the researchers will incorporate into the future work of the living lab and that will also provide new impetus for the entire TEN.efzn research program. Additional workshops on the topics of decommissioning and the supply of skilled workers are being planned.

Thank you to Siemens Gamesa for a very interesting and informative plant tour, and to all the participants for their constructive feedback and many valuable insights.

Photo credits: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Apirami Logasingam (main photo), ForWind – Center for Wind Energy Research (remaining photos)

On June 17, 2026, the second stakeholder workshop of the Living Lab 70 GW Offshore Wind took place at ForWind’s WindLab in Oldenburg. More than 50 participants from academia, business, industry, government, and civil society came together to discuss current issues surrounding the large-scale expansion of offshore wind energy in Germany.

The event began with an introduction to the living lab and a presentation of all five areas of innovation by representatives of the participating research institutions. Among other things, the presentations covered papers submitted to scientific conferences in recent months and shared initial findings from the extensive and unique measurement campaigns.

This was followed by three keynote presentations that explored social, planning, and technological perspectives: Jan Teuwsen (Amprion) provided insights into the next steps in offshore planning from a cross-border perspective, Kai Herklotz from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency spoke about the impact of human activities on the marine environment, and Alejandro Gonzalez from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy presented challenges in the aerodynamics and aeroelasticity of modern turbines.

In three parallel breakout sessions, participants delved deeper into discussions on the topics of maritime spatial planning and network development, the marine environmental impacts of offshore wind energy, and developments in turbine technology. A concluding plenary discussion summarized the key findings and perspectives from the working groups.

The workshop is part of the transdisciplinary approach of the living lab, which shapes research and practice in dialogue with societal actors. Stakeholder workshops serve a dual purpose in a living lab: Not only do they facilitate the transfer of research findings into practice, but they are also central elements of co-design and co-evaluation—that is, the processes through which practical knowledge feeds into research and, together with the participating stakeholders, determines how specific research questions should be further developed.

At the 7th International RAVE Workshop (Research at alpha ventus), which took place last week in Hamburg in a hybrid format, the 70 GW Offshore Wind living lab was represented by its spokesperson, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Torsten Schlurmann. Around 100 national and international participants from research, government agencies, and industry gathered to discuss the latest research findings based on the long-term data sets from the alpha ventus test field.

A central theme of the event was the upcoming decommissioning of alpha ventus—Germany’s first offshore wind farm to reach the end of its operational life. Prof. Schlurmann participated in the concluding panel discussion, during which representatives from research, operators, and industry explored the question of what further benefits alpha ventus can offer the offshore wind industry and Germany. The discussion highlighted the need for accompanying research on the decommissioning of offshore wind farms—for example, regarding the remaining service life of foundations, decommissioning technologies, and their environmental impacts.

Photo: Fraunhofer IWES

Oldenburg-based sustainability researcher Prof. Dr. Bernd Siebenhüner has once again been appointed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to the German Committee for Sustainability Research (DKN). He will thus serve on the committee for another three years.

The DKN is an independent scientific advisory body of the DFG. It supports sustainability research at the national and international levels and serves, among other things, as a point of contact for the international research program Future Earth and the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). Its goal is to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and advance research activities on climate protection and sustainable development.

Siebenhüner holds the Chair in Ecological Economics at the University of Oldenburg. At the 70 GW Offshore Wind living lab, Bernd Siebenhüner works in the innovation area “Social Science and Economic Issues Related to the Expansion of Offshore Wind Energy,” with a focus on subprojects designed to shape the necessary stakeholder engagement processes.

Photo: Markus Hibbeler/University of Oldenburg

How does offshore wind power affect the marine environment, and how can its planned expansion be made as sustainable as possible? These questions were the focus of a parliamentary breakfast hosted by the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM), the DAM research mission sustainMare, and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) on April 22, 2026, at the Jakob-Kaiser-Haus of the German Bundestag in Berlin. More than 30 guests from politics, business, foundations, and academia engaged in a science-based discussion on the expansion of offshore wind power in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Prof. Dr. Corinna Schrum, Dr. Ute Daewel, and Dr. Andreas Kannen from the Helmholtz Center Hereon provided the scientific impetus with findings from the sustainMare research mission. Their key message: While this expansion significantly alters the marine environment, it is also a central component of energy security, climate neutrality, technological development, and employment. It is crucial to consider nature, the marine environment, and energy policy together rather than separately by sector. DAM and sustainMare have summarized the options for action in seven recommendations for a science-based maritime policy.

Andreas Kannen, one of the spokespersons for the sustainMare research mission, also works as a researcher at the 70 GW Offshore Wind living lab. Also present was living lab spokesperson Prof. Dr. Torsten Schlurmann, who serves on the DAM Executive Board.

To mark this occasion, the DAM has published a position paper on shaping science-based marine policy. It can be downloaded here: OFFSHORE WIND POWER: THE NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Photo: DAM/German Alliance for Marine Research

On June 25, 2026, the 70 GW Offshore Wind living lab and the Lüneburg and Weser-Ems Regional Development Offices will host a joint workshop at Cuxhaven City Hall. The workshop will focus on initial findings from the living lab’s social science subprojects, as well as a joint discussion with regional stakeholders on challenges and potential solutions.

Expanding offshore wind energy to 70 gigawatts by 2045 is not merely a technical and environmental challenge—it has far-reaching social implications and consequences for coastal regions. In Innovation Area I of the living lab, researchers from the Göttingen Institute for Sociological Research (SOFI), Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, the Helmholtz Center Hereon, and the Fraunhofer IWES are investigating the opportunities and potential conflicts that this expansion brings for local communities and regional economies, how appropriate participatory processes can be designed, and how the expansion targets should be evaluated under various techno-economic scenarios.

The workshop offers an opportunity to discuss these issues with representatives from government agencies, local governments, and civil society. The findings will be incorporated into the ongoing research process.

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026, 2:00–6:00 p.m.
Location: Cuxhaven City Hall, Cuxhaven Hall (old building, 1st floor), Rathausplatz 1
Registration by June 15, 2026: events.gwdg.de/event/1448

At WindEurope 2026 in Madrid on April 21, ForWind Executive Director Dr. Stephan Barth participated in a high-level panel discussion on the topic “A New Approach to Funding Wind R&I and Competitiveness.” The panel, moderated by Alexander Vandenberghe (WindEurope), brought together representatives from European research policy, industry, and the energy sector—including Mechthild Wörsdörfer from the European Commission, Erika Velazquez from Hitachi Energy, and Miguel Rodrigo Gonzalo from the Spanish institute IDAE.

The discussion focused on the question of how Europe can translate its technological leadership in wind energy into industrial competitiveness through targeted measures in the upcoming EU budget. A key argument was that establishing a European fund for wind energy research and competitiveness is necessary to ensure affordable and clean energy for European industry and households in the long term.

Barth also brought to the discussion perspectives relevant to the ongoing research at the 70 GW Offshore Wind living lab—such as the question of how research structures must be organized to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and industrial application.

Living Lab 70GW Offshore Wind will be represented at Hannover Messe 2026 in the week from April 20 to April 24, 2026 as part of the TEN.efzn research program. The focus of the presentation is the dialog with stakeholders from science, business, politics and civil society on the central challenges of accelerated offshore wind expansion.

On Monday, living lab spokesperson Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Torsten Schlurmann discussed at the Expert Stage in Hall 12 in the panel discussion “TEN.efzn: Energy Research from Lower Saxony – Rethinking the Energy Transition” together with Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Lehnhoff and Julia Zilles, how the energy transition in Lower Saxony and beyond can be actively shaped by research in an interdisciplinary way. The range of perspectives represented – from energy informatics and interdisciplinary wind energy research to social science transformation issues – reflected the integrated approach of TEN.efzn.

Following the panel discussion, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, and the Minister for Europe and Regional Development, Melanie Walter, visited the efzn stand. Both visits offered the opportunity to discuss the objectives and research work of the Living Lab 70GW Offshore Wind in more detail and to discuss current issues relating to offshore wind expansion with the political level.

Until Friday, April 24, 2026, you can find out more about the Living Lab 70GW Offshore Wind and TEN.efzn’s contributions to the future of energy supply at the efzn stand at the “Lower Saxony Innovation and Research” joint stand of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (Hall 11, Stand B56). The living lab team will be available there for discussions, questions and background information.

The trade fair appearance will focus on the presentation of our ongoing and completed measurement campaigns as part of the living lab. You can find all the information here: https://reallabor.offshore.uol.de/messkampagnen/