The Alpha Ventus test field has fulfilled its purpose, and a concept for environmentally-friendly dismantling is now being developed.
“Offshore wind energy is now an established technology and an important pillar of Germany's energy supply – not least thanks to the Alpha Ventus test field. However, research continues to play a key role,” said Bernhard Lange of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES). “While 15 years ago the main question was whether offshore wind energy was even feasible in Germany, today we are dedicated to optimising the technology and exploring how costs can be further reduced. The Research at Alpha Ventus (RAVE) research initiative will focus on issues related to the economical and environmentally-friendly dismantling of offshore wind farms.”
Alpha Ventus has already more than fulfilled its role as a test bed. But this wind farm will continue to perform pioneering work in the coming years. For the first time in Germany, the dismantling of an offshore wind farm will be undertaken in close cooperation with the relevant authorities. As was the case during construction and operation, this will allow research questions that remain open for the future dismantling of large wind farms to be addressed.
“Alpha Ventus will reach the end of its planned operating life in just over four years. Therefore, we are faced with the challenge of examining how to proceed,” explained Eric Richter, Managing Director of the Alpha Ventus operating company, DOTI. “We considered various options – including repowering, of course. However, due to the size and weight of today's turbine models, the foundations would also have had to be replaced, which would have been equivalent to building a new turbine, and the relatively small area of Alpha Ventus is not suitable for this. We are now working with our partners and the responsible authorities on an environmentally-friendly decommissioning concept.”
A concept for the environmentally-friendly dismantling of the 12 wind turbines and the on-site transformer station is currently being developed in close co-ordination with the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. This concept will prioritise not only protecting the marine environment but also recycling the components.
“We are still at the very beginning of our considerations regarding decommissioning. Just as we were the first to build an offshore wind farm in German waters, we are now the first to gain experience with decommissioning. It is perfectly normal to plan such work well in advance – also because the special vessels and port capacity required for this must be booked well in advance,” Richter said.
The Alpha Ventus wind farm is located in the German Bight, approximately 45 km off the island of Borkum, and is operated by a consortium of EWE, RWE, and Vattenfall.
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