As Europe's first-generation wind farms begin reaching the end of their economic life, investments in repowering and replacing existing turbines with larger, more efficient and higher-capacity models are gaining momentum.
A large number of onshore wind farms built across Europe in the early 2000s are now approaching the end of their 20- to 25-year operational life, making repowering one of the industry's top priorities.
As part of this process, older, lower-capacity turbines are dismantled and replaced with next-generation models featuring taller towers, larger rotor diameters and advanced technologies that deliver higher efficiency and greater generating capacity.
To achieve its climate targets and strengthen energy security, Europe needs to significantly expand its wind power capacity by 2030, according to WindEurope, the European wind industry's umbrella organization.
While modernizing existing wind farms will play a critical role in reaching this goal, technical, administrative and regulatory barriers continue to slow the pace of repowering projects.
WindEurope estimates that more than 13 gigawatts (GW) of existing wind power capacity across Europe will be decommissioned by 2030, while only 9 GW of repowered capacity is expected to be installed during the same period.
This suggests that not all retired capacity will be replaced with modern turbines.
"(Repowering) allows developers to preserve existing grid connections and permitting infrastructure while generating two to three times more electricity from the same site," according to WindEurope.
Many of Europe's existing onshore wind farms still rely on first-generation turbines with capacities below 2 MW.
By contrast, today's turbines can individually reach capacities of 6 MW to 8 MW. Combined with improved blade designs that enable more efficient generation even at lower wind speeds, these turbines significantly increase capacity factors.
- Wind repowering boom opens new opportunities for industry
Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands are among Europe's leading countries in repowering investments.
Reusing existing transmission infrastructure and grid connections reduces the need for new land, shortens permitting procedures and lowers investment costs.
These advantages make repowering projects more attractive than developing entirely new wind farms.
Over the next decade, tens of thousands of megawatts of wind power capacity are expected to be repowered across Europe.
This transformation is also expected to create significant growth opportunities for turbine manufacturers and the broader wind energy supply chain.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
