In Europe alone, the operating licence of approx. 15 offshore wind farms will expire within the next ten years. What will happen to the plants after that? There is hardly any past experience or established dismantling concepts to fall back on, nor information on dismantling requirements, techniques or procedures, logistics or the recycling of components. The project “SeeOff – Strategy development for the efficient dismantling of offshore wind farms” is focusing on this need and is in the process of developing efficient dismantling strategies. This currently involves compiling a manual which presents the strategies with which offshore wind turbines can be dismantled at low cost, in compliance with the legal requirements and in an environmentally friendly manner.

The project partners from the field of research and industry, supported by an advisory board, are examining technical concepts and developing methods for creating and evaluating different dismantling scenarios. The main focus of interest will be on the economic, ecological and safety aspects.

In compiling the manual, the interdisciplinary team, under the direction of the Bremen University of Applied Sciences, is working on providing answers to numerous questions that need to be addressed in order to achieve a sustainable and environmentally friendly dismantling process. Hence, not only do suitable logistics concepts need to be created, but it is also necessary to clarify whether all the components are affected by the dismantling process and how this process can be best planned and coordinated considering there are so many participants involved.

Launched in November 2018, the project is receiving 1.1 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) within the scope of the Sixth Energy Research Programme. Results are expected at the beginning of November 2021. In the course of the research undertaken, it is hoped that conclusions can be drawn for the potential optimisation of upstream production processes of offshore wind turbines, particularly in terms of a more efficient use of resources.