The UK plans to double onshore wind capacity and triple offshore wind by 2030. But as new turbines go up, the first generation of wind farms is reaching the end of its life, with little policy in place to ensure their materials and components are kept in use.
In this briefing, the Green Alliance set sout why building a circular wind industry matters for energy security, supply chain resilience and industrial opportunity. They explain the current state of end of life management in the UK, where decommissioning guidance is fragmented and circular practice is the exception rather than the rule and look at what other countries are doing better. Drawing on research from the RESCUE Project, they make three recommendations for the government’s forthcoming Circular Economy Roadmap for Clean Energy Industries.
This briefing was produced with the RESCUE Project which is led by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, in partnership with the Universities of Leeds, Birmingham and the West of England, EMR and Ionic Technologies, and funded by UK Research and Innovation.
The report is available here.
External link
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 