Offshore renewable energies: A review towards Floating Modular Energy Islands—Monitoring, Loads, Modelling and Control

Floating Modular Energy Islands (FMEIs) are modularized, interconnected floating structures that function together to produce, store, possibly convert and transport renewable energy. Recent technological advancements in the offshore energy sector indicate that the concept of floating offshore energy islands has the potential to become more cost-effective and more widespread than previously anticipated. This review is specifically meant as a basis for the development of new approaches to the sustainable exploitation of multi-energy sources in the offshore environment leveraging the know-how of existing technologies and, at the same time, exploring new solutions for the specific challenges of FMEIs. The paper critically analyzes the current state of data-driven approaches and structural health monitoring techniques in the offshore energy sector. It also covers topics such as met-ocean data, load estimation, platform dynamics, coupling actions, nonlinear dynamics of mooring lines, modelling considerations, and control of electrical subsystems. It is believed that this systematic and multidisciplinary review will facilitate synergies and further enhance research and development of offshore renewable energies.