Everoze plans life extension

Technical consultancy Everoze has unveiled a new scheme to help wind farm operators make the right call as their portfolios reach maturity.

The Life Extension Assessment Framework (LEAF) was launched at All-Energy 2016 in Glasgow.

It will be used to explore and shortlist end of life options for wind farms by looking at feasibility, risks and economics, Everoze said.

The system has already been used “by the owners of a substantial aging wind portfolio”, it added.

Everoze partner Joe Phillips said: “It’s not simply a choice between life extension, repowering and decommissioning. There is a myriad of options across this spectrum, some of which challenge renewables assets and their owners to adopt very different operational or business models.

“We’ve been surprised about the level of appetite and the economic case for adding solar or storage capacity to existing wind farms, for example. The lifetime IRR improvement comparing existing and rebooted assets can be well in excess of 0.5%.”

Everoze partner Colin Morgan added that there is no “one-size-fits all” solution with technology and regulation in the midst of radical changes.

“The most valuable thing about an asset might not be the turbines or modules, but rather hard-won local stakeholder relationships and access to a firm grid connection,” he said

“This is about working creatively to explore what a site could become, before making a cold, hard assessment of risks and rewards.”

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