Search Results (3)

This study builds a bridge between the advancements from prospective life cycle assessments (pLCAs) and dynamic life cycle assessments (dLCAs) to improve the evaluation of circular economy (CE) strategies for long-lived products such as energy technologies. Based on a literature review of recent developments from pLCA and dLCA, an extended LCA methodology is proposed that provides guidance in the consideration and integration of technological and market dynamics across all major LCA steps of a dLCA, whose flows and impacts extend over a long period of time. This ensures a more accurate assessment of the impacts on global warming over time by explicitly incorporating temporal differentiation into goals and scopes, life cycle inventories, and interpretations. The methodology was applied to compare two CE measures for wind turbines: full repowering, including material recycling, and partial repowering. The analysis revealed that full repowering is the environmentally preferable option from the perspective of global warming potential, as the higher electricity output offsets the emissions associated with decommissioning and new construction. The findings were robust under various assumptions on future technological advancements, the underlying decarbonization scenario aligned with the Paris Agreement, and the application of discounting of future emissions. Ultimately, this work provides a practical yet adaptable approach for integrating future-oriented LCA methods into decision-making for more sustainable infrastructure and machinery. Full article

It is observed that the number of onshore wind farms that reach the end of their service life is continually increasing. The decision-making process that defines the future of the farm is a challenge for the owners. This systematic review aimed to identify which factors influence the decision-making process at the end-of-life cycle of onshore wind farms. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, a research strategy was developed and used the Scopus, Web of Science and EMBASE databases. Initially, 2767 articles were identified, but, after double-blind screening, 26 articles were analyzed in full. The scarcity of studies on this topic and little elucidation are limitations of this review. The results include (i) a systematization of six options for decision making, (ii) thirteen factors influencing the decision-making process associated with categories of external factors (logistics and infrastructure aspects, regulatory aspects and public policies, national energy guidelines, the technological development of the sector); and internal factors (economic/financial, operational and environmental aspects). It is concluded that most of the publications consist of simulations and theoretical studies highlighting a bottleneck in experiences and feasible data to support decisions at the end of service life. It is highlighted that most of the studies showed that partial decommissioning with partial repowering, as well as total decommissioning, were the most feasible options for the end-of-life cycle, with aspects related to public policies and regulatory aspects, as well as environmental, operational and economic/financial aspects, being the most influential, especially due to the wake effect, operation and maintenance costs (OPEX) and the protection of guarantees and incentives for operation in a new operating cycle. Full article

The installation of wind power technology is growing steadily and the trend can be expected to continue if the objectives proposed by the European Commission are to be achieved. In some countries a considerable percentage of installed wind power capacity is near the end of its useful lifetime. In the case of Spain, the figure is 50% within five years. Over the last 20 years, wind energy technology has evolved considerably and the expected capacity factor has improved, thus increasing annual energy production, and capital expenditure and operational expenditure have decreased substantially. This paper studies the optimal decision under uncertainty between life extension and full repowering for a generic wind farm installed in the Iberian Peninsula when the future hourly electricity prices and the capacity factor evolve stochastically and seasonally. The results show that in economic terms, full repowering is the best option, with a net present value of €702,093 per MW installed, while reblading is the second best option. The methodology can be transferred to other specific wind farms in different electricity markets and can be used to develop national wind energy policy recommendations to achieve projected shares in the electricity mix. Full article