CFPs: Improving Reliability and Optimised Operations of Wind Energy Systems

The call highlights the following focus areas: Limit the risks related to wind energy systems (e.g., operational, financial, climate) and thus reduce the wind energy projects’ uncertainties; The European wind energy supply chain strengthens its strategic autonomy, technology leadership, competitiveness, and technology export potential; Develop and validate solutions to increase the reliability of wind energy systems and their components, thus ensuring security of supply and further reducing the environmental impacts; Develop new methods, computational techniques and tools to analyse and predict the reliability of wind energy systems, considering the analysis of the failure modes of existing systems and including a focus on new analytical approaches, technologies and materials; Develop new methods and tools for condition and health monitoring of wind energy systems and their components; Develop and validate solutions to optimise the operation and maintenance of wind energy systems and their components, for example through improved scheduling and predictive maintenance, autonomous tools, robots and vehicles, semi-automated inspection methods or advanced repair methods; Develop and validate new components to be incorporated in structures’ designs to improve the safety and efficiency on-site during maintenance activities in wind farms; Develop and validate innovative digital tools to facilitate wind farm operation and maintenance, for instance through improved interoperability, decision-making support tools, condition and health monitoring techniques and innovative sensors, while ensuring increased cybersecurity and data sharing.

The Commission expects projects funded under this call to achieve Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4–5 by the end of the project. Activities may start at any TRL, and eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. The indicative total budget for this topic is EUR 15 million, with an expected EU contribution of around EUR 5 million per project.

Projects are also required to ensure that the data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable). Digitalisation plays a central role, particularly in predictive maintenance, advanced sensor technologies, diagnostics, and structural health monitoring. Solutions should also align with current standardisation efforts to ensure wider adoption and scalability across Europe’s wind sector.

The call is part of Cluster 5 under Horizon Europe’s Climate, Energy and Mobility work programme and aims to strengthen Europe’s global leadership in renewable energy technologies.

For more information, visit EC.