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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Extending the life of onshore wind turbines
13/11/2024
10 min read
Feature
Onshore wind turbines are commonly subject to extreme and challenging environmental conditions. But as turbines age and rotor size and power grows, the SafetyOn forum, in partnership with the Energy Institute, is focused on delivering good practice guides and resources for effective life extension management, explains Bruce Henry, Head of Engineering, EDF Renewables, UK & Ireland.
The Delabole wind farm in Cornwall, England, was the UK’s first commercial scale wind farm, closely followed by the nearby Carland Cross wind farm. These pioneering wind turbines were small structures generating 400 kW with 34-metre rotor diameter. Nevertheless, they kickstarted a wind turbine revolution that has since expanded to an impressive 16 GW of installed onshore capacity across the UK – a figure that continues to climb.
The first wind farms were constructed around 1991. So modern wind farms can draw on more than three decades of UK development expertise in design, construction and operation. The most obvious developments were in the wind turbine design: reducing weight, improving control strategies, with better computational modelling, new manufacturing techniques and materials. All of these developments culminate in much larger wind turbines, that are currently in the region of 170-metre rotor and ~7 MW available onshore in the UK today.
Offshore, wind turbines are now offered with ~240-metre rotor diameter and 15 MW, and larger turbines are approaching due to the economic reward and competitive energy contract auctions, not to mention the sustainability benefits of fewer, larger turbines.