Challenges and constraints in offshore wind: an end-of-life perspective

The sector currently lacks the necessary guidance to manage these assets sustainably, potentially leading to developers considering financially less risky but environmentally unsustainable options like decommissioning. This project aimed to develop the groundwork for a decision support framework to assist repowering of offshore wind turbines.

The framework focused on identifying constraints within the offshore wind supply chain that would affect end-of-life options and on developing an accurate method to estimate a turbine's remaining useful life.<br><br>Constraints within the availability of fabricators and installation vessels was highlighted as having a substantial impact on both greenfield sites and full repowering. Instead, partial repowering and life extension were identified as having lower financial risk due to their limited supply chain engagement. <br><br>The study also highlighted the potential for structural reserves within operating turbines due to conservatism within design standards used during their development.