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 wake loss 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 a number of concerns regarding the reproducibility of the finite wind farm correction and its sensitivity to the model results and validation, as well as the application of the model to assess national policies. We conclude that the limit proposed in Simão Ferreira et al. (2026) is not a theoretical limit but a model limit that is strongly dependent on the finite wind farm correction.