Comment on “A theoretical upper limit for offshore wind energy extraction” by Simão Ferreira et al. (2026)

A theoretical limit for the energy extraction of offshore wind farms has been suggested by Simão Ferreira et al. (2026) based on a simple analytical model that was originally designed to provide an estimate of the turbine wake losses of an infinite wind farm. Simão Ferreira et al. (2026) validated the model with 72 offshore wind farms using an ad hoc and undocumented method to correct the model for application to finite wind farms. In this work, we discuss our concerns regarding the non-reproducibility of the finite wind farm correction and its sensitivity to the model results and validation. We conclude that the limit proposed in Simão Ferreira et al. (2026) is not a theoretical limit but rather a limit supported by model results that are strongly dependent on the non-reproducible finite wind farm correction. Therefore, the model of Simão Ferreira et al. (2026) cannot be employed to assess the feasibility of national policies.