Over 3.5GW of global offshore wind capacity will reach its end of operational life by 2035 if no other action is taken. In its efforts to create an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels, the wind industry’s focus in its first decades has been to increase deployment and rapidly reduce the costs of energy. Compared to these urgent and immediate priorities, the decommissioning of wind farms after their operational lifetimes was an issue for longer term consideration.
As the development of offshore wind is accelerating, and the existing fleet is aging, the time has come to consider alternative and more sustainable options for offshore wind sites after an approximately 25-year life.
Angeliki Spyroudi, Senior Strategy Analyst, has created a cost-benefit analysis of five end-of-life scenarios was conducted for a representative UK offshore wind farm of 35 turbines (6MW rating) reaching its 25-year operating life in 2040.
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