End Of Life wind Energy Strategies
In Europe, much of the wind farm fleet is nearing the end of its useful life, with 57 GW reaching 20 years of operation in 2030. Spain, and especially Navarra (with ~1 GW affected), face the challenge of deciding between extending the life of wind turbines, repowering or decommissioning. This decision-making process is challenging as there are no objective tools capable of assessing all the relevant aspects of the different alternatives. Current methodologies estimate component degradation and failures, but lack a comprehensive approach that considers technical, economic, regulatory and environmental factors. Furthermore, the absence of validation with real data limits their practical applicability in the effective management of wind farms at the end of their useful life. This creates a gap that hinders efficient and sustainable wind farm planning.
The EOLES project proposes the first tool capable of integrating relevant technical, economic, regulatory and circularity factors into this decision-making process. EOLES will allow the wind farm operator to simulate different end-of-life scenarios and make objective and realistic comparisons. This tool will centralise operational and design data and integrate complex analyses of productivity, structural condition of components, impact of adverse events and logistical needs for each end-of-life scenario, also providing a detailed assessment of the circularity of components and materials. In addition, it will directly address the lack of validation with real data, a critical point in existing methodologies. To this end, it will select wind farms in Navarra with diversity in age, technology and power, ensuring the extrapolation and relevance of the results obtained.
The consortium, led by ENHOL, which will provide information on the operation of its farms and the strategic vision to identify and weigh the inputs of the tool, and with the participation of CENER, RENERCYCLE, Tetrace, Eo6 Ingenieria, Das-nano Tech., Cener, will develop the necessary modules (energy, O&M, installation/decommissioning, circular economy) and decision support algorithms. EOLES seeks to maximise profitability, reduce operating and planning costs, optimise O&M costs, and maximise revenue from recycling and the sale of decommissioned assets.
