Socialtruant/
Shutterstock.com
Socialtruant/
Shutterstock.com
HSE
With thousands of offshore wind turbines nearing the end of their lifespan in Europe alone, a decommissioning storm is fast approaching. But with industry historically ignoring the challenge, what happens next isn’t entirely clear. Andrea Valentino speaks to Dr Antony Knights of the University of Plymouth and Dr Michaela Schratzberger at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to learn more.
Out with the old W
ind turbines, insiders have long assured us, are a vital tool in the fight for a better tomorrow. Certainly, the statistics make it hard to disagree. According to the American Clean Power Association, for example, wind energy helps avoid 336 million tonnes of CO2
emissions
each year – the equivalent of 76 million cars. The electricity-producing potential of the sector is just as stark. Assuming an average turbine height of 90m, researchers at the University of Michigan speculate that onshore and offshore wind generation could produce a bewildering 872,000TWh of electricity annually. To put that into perspective, total global energy consumption is a mere 24,000TWh.
Once you factor in the economic benefits of the wind sector – and that it theoretically buffers countries from the vagaries of the global fossil fuels market – and you can see why EU nations are on course to bolster the bloc’s offshore wind capacity 25-fold by the end of the decade. Yet, what comes up – it goes without saying – must also come down: and here policymakers and turbine manufacturers have shown distinctly less enthusiasm. Especially for offshore turbines – battered by waves and air, and challenging to maintain – there’s a distinct lack of clarity about what to do when their life cycle comes to an end, even as the typical wind farm can only function for about a quarter of a century.
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World Wind Technology /
www.worldwind-technology.com
orld Wind Technology /
www.worldwind-technology.com
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