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Renewable Energy: Replacing wind turbines

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJul 29th 2026
     
    I recently read about a scheme to replace wind farm turbines with new ones. Their idea was to remove the existing ones and put new ones up, much bigger ones. It might seem like a good idea because because all the cabling infrastructure will already be there but of course it won’t be suitable because the the output of the new wind turbines will probably be something like 10 times as much as as existing ones so the cables would need to be upgraded anyway.

    My intention is that it’s crazy to take down in turbines that still useful. Why not? Just put the new ones up somewhere else then we’d have both the old ones and the new ones all functioning?
  2.  
    I suspect that replacing an existing wind turbine with a bigger one is (much) less controversial than a new build.

    IMO before much more wind energy is produced the grid needs to be sorted to allow for the additional generated energy. It seems daft to me to install more (bigger) turbines when curtailment payments are already being made.

    But doubtless someone has done the sums (including the availability of curtailment payments)

    Unless the ones to be replaced are nearing their end of expected life (20-25 years)
  3.  
    UK wind curtailment is around 7-8% of generation, it's not really a big deal.

    Curtailment payments are a teeny tiny fraction (~2%) of what we are spending on importing oil&gas at Hormuz prices

    But some people who are heavily invested in oil&gas would like everyone else to go on to social media to say "It seems daft to me to install more (bigger) turbines", so their PR agencies bang on and on about curtailment to make them think it were a big deal.


    Incidentally wind generators are legally barred from making any money from curtailment, it is purely to offset their losses. They can't use it to finance bigger turbines.


    The Whitelee windfarm in the news was built in 2008, they announced plans to replace the turbines from 2028 onwards when they are twenty years old and their original consent lapses. New turbines are much more powerful than they were twenty years ago so they won't need as many. They are upgrading the grid connection and substation and have separate permissions to convert electricity as green hydrogen.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJul 30th 2026 edited
     
    Looks like windfarm sites ripe for upgrading are simply the site, nothing more, as absolutely everything (incl access roads?) needs enlarging. Not bad - the site is not merely 'less controversial' for an upgrade, but is genuinely appropriate, as all the environmental checks, effect on neighbours etc have already been argued through. If it's going to be fewer, much larger turbines, probably good, look 'stately' in the landscape, not a forest of little ones.

    Loss of those little old ones' output will be a drop in the ocean of the new potential, which can then be put on an existing suitable site rather than spreading to a new one. So, for me, everything in favour of upgrading as soon as the numbers suggest. Yes, the old ones' embodied carbon is 'wasted', but in the prime way that they can be most swiftly outweighed by future 'in use' carbon savings.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJul 30th 2026
     
    I still see it better to keep the ones and put the new ones up too, less waste, more generation, yes a bew site is needed

    Re too much wind power, we are not there yet
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeJul 30th 2026 edited
     
    Not about embodied carbon (to be minimised) but embodied site-suitability - they're not two a penny - minimised profligacy! Also opportunity to improve a windfarm's 'look' in the countryside - fewer bigger turbines.
  7.  
    Concrete bases need replacing as well.
    The only advantage of existing sites is that they are in windy places. As well as acceptability in the planning system
    But there are still plenty of windy places to go at.
    Noise wise, bigger turbines might be too close to the nearest neighbours even though the smaller ones were okay.(depends on the make/model though)
  8.  
    The existing machines will have been turning continuously for twenty years, so seems reasonable they will be due for replacement if they are to last another twenty years. SP Renewables are among the most experienced operators so pretty sure they'll have done the sums on putting up like -for-like replacement machines on existing foundations, versus using fewer of the new state of the art designs which are bigger and more powerful.

    From their perspective it's not either/or replacing Whitelee or newbuilding at EA2 and EA3, rather they're doing both/and.

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