Upgraded old turbines offer solution to UK onshore wind goals
EMR Metals Recycling suggests incentivising repowering of ageing turbines to help meet 2030 targets.
One of the first acts of the new UK Government has been to introduce a target to double the country’s onshore wind capacity to 30 GW by 2030. However, EMR Metals Recycling has suggested that achieving this goal will require the government addressing the inefficiencies posed by older wind turbines.
At present, over 850 wind turbines across nearly 70 sites in the UK are more than 20 years old, collectively generating 0.57 GW of onshore wind capacity. EMR Metals Recycling have characterised these turbines as small (0.5 MW on average), inefficient, and located in areas with optimal wind conditions.
In comparison, modern turbines typically range between 4-6 MW. Repowering projects have the ability to increase the capacity of an onshore wind farm by 3-4 times, whilst reducing the overall number of turbines.
The Renewables Obligation scheme
EMR Metals Recycling’s research indicates that 98 per cent of onshore wind capacity that is more than 20 years old is registered under the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme.
Introduced in 2002, this scheme mandates UK electricity suppliers to purchase “green certificates” from renewables generators, providing an extra revenue stream for operators. With this funding, many operators have extended the operational life of ageing turbines, often by extending the original planning consent.
However, for early entrants to the scheme, the financial support will end in April 2027. EMR Metals Recycling warns that, as a result, developers are unlikely to consider repowering these sites until after this date, delaying the potential upgrade of these prime locations.
To address this challenge, EMR Metals Recycling has urged the government to consider revising and extending the RO scheme. One proposed approach is to allow sites that undergo repowering to remain in the scheme beyond the decommissioning of the original capacity. The repowered capacity could receive a reduced award rate, sufficient to cover any shortfall incurred by the transition.
This solution not only aims to incentivise developers to consider repowering older sites but also addresses the challenges associated with developing new wind turbine sites, such as securing planning permission from Local Planning Authorities.
