The UK must ensure it replaces older onshore wind farms with newer turbines as they reach the end of their operational lives if it is to secure enough low-cost power capacity to meet climate change targets, RenewableUK has warned. A report today by the trade body explains that more than 8GW of existing onshore wind capacity, which currently generates nearly a fifth of the UK’s renewable electricity output, could be retired over the next two decades. The group added that new policies are therefore needed to enable the replacing or ‘repowering’ of these older turbines as they reach the end of their operational lives, such as setting a framework to encourage councils to grant planning permission for such projects. The report warns the UK faces a low carbon electricity generation gap of up to 18 per cent of current demand by 2030, and that if the government fails to support ‘repowering’ or replacing existing onshore wind turbines that gap could grow even wider.
Business Green 25th April 2019 read more »