DEWI-OCC OFFSHORE AND CERTIFICATIONCENTRE GMBH

Their core work

DEWI-OCC is a German independent testing, measurement, and certification centre for wind energy technologies, based in Cuxhaven on the North Sea coast — one of Germany's primary offshore wind hubs. Their real-world function is to provide third-party technical expertise and validation services to wind energy research consortia, covering everything from wind turbine performance assessment to offshore installation feasibility. In EU research projects they appear exclusively as third parties, which is consistent with a certification body that contributes accredited measurement capabilities, standards knowledge, and independent verification rather than conducting primary research. Their participation in both onshore wind control and floating offshore wind projects confirms a broad technical scope across the wind energy value chain.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2016–2019), DEWI-OCC's contribution centred on control and optimisation of large onshore and offshore wind farms — a domain closely tied to their measurement and testing heritage. By their second project (2019–2023), the focus had shifted decisively toward floating offshore wind, with a markedly more specific technical vocabulary: mooring and anchoring, dynamic cables, floater design, and LCOE reduction. This reflects the broader industry trajectory in Germany and Europe, where fixed-bottom offshore wind is maturing and the frontier has moved to deep-water floating installations.

DEWI-OCC is tracking the industry's frontier move from fixed-bottom to floating offshore wind, making them a relevant third-party validator for any consortium developing floating wind technology that needs independent certification or measurement expertise.

How they like to work

DEWI-OCC has never coordinated or led an H2020 project — they enter exclusively as third parties, the role typically used for service providers, certified testing labs, or subcontractors whose contribution is defined and contracted rather than research-led. Despite this limited formal role, their two projects connect them to 30 unique partners, suggesting they are embedded in active, large consortia rather than peripheral to them. Working with them likely means procuring a defined technical service (measurement campaigns, certification inputs, standards advice) with clear deliverables rather than open-ended research collaboration.

DEWI-OCC has built connections with 30 unique consortium partners across 9 countries through just two projects, indicating they joined well-networked, large pan-European consortia. Their Cuxhaven base places them at the heart of the German North Sea offshore wind cluster, likely giving them strong ties to industry players in DE, DK, NL, and UK.

What sets them apart

DEWI-OCC occupies a rare niche as an independent, accredited certification and offshore testing centre located directly on the German North Sea coast — geography that matters for offshore wind work. Unlike universities or research institutes, they bring industry-recognised validation authority: when a consortium needs a credible third-party to measure, verify, or certify a wind technology, they offer legitimacy that academic partners cannot. For a consortium building a floating wind project that must eventually reach commercial deployment, having an accredited certification body as third party from the start de-risks the path from prototype to market.

Highlights from their portfolio

• COREWIND
  A major RIA on floating offshore wind (2019–2023) covering the full technology stack from floater design to LCOE reduction — one of the most comprehensive floating wind R&D efforts in H2020.
• CL-Windcon
  An early RIA on closed-loop wind farm control (2016–2019) that positioned DEWI-OCC in the advanced control and optimisation space before the industry pivoted to floating wind.