Wind Turbines Repowering

Name: Wind Turbines Repowering
Author: Jürgen Kummer

Calculator for the replacement of old wind turbines with new ones. Wind turbines have moving parts and these are subject to wear. After some time, usually 2 to 3 decades, it may be worthwhile or even necessary to replace them with new models. And since technology is expected to improve during this time, you can expect more performance from the same area. The number of wind turbines often decreases with repowering, but the height increases.
This is a simple calculator to compare the performance of the old wind turbines to the new ones. Costs and income are not taken into account here. Please enter two of the three values for each system.

Old wind power plant
Number of wind turbines:
Nominal power per turbine:
Total power:
New wind power plant
Number of wind turbines:
Nominal power per turbine:
Total power:
Comparison new and old plant
Power ratio:		%
Power increase:		%
Factor:

Example: if ten wind turbines with a nominal output of 600 kilowatts (0.6 megawatts) each are replaced by four wind turbines with a nominal output of 4.5 megawatts each, the new wind farm will have 300 percent of the output of the old one, or 200 percent more. The factor is 3, so the new wind farm is three times as large.

Repowering can be particularly useful in wind farms with very good locations, even if the old wind turbines are still in fine condition. These can be dismantled and rebuilt relatively cheaply in other, less good locations. Such an action must of course be carefully calculated beforehand and you either need a building site for the old wind turbines or a buyer.
If the old wind turbines are no longer good, some of their parts can be recycled. The rotor blades are problematic here because they are made of GRP, glass fiber reinforced plastic, which is difficult to separate and is usually burned. However, there are already recyclable rotor blades. Steel and electronic components, on the other hand, can be easily recycled using proven processes. There is an interesting idea for the reuse of wind turbine nacelles by converting them into living space, so-called tiny houses.

Last updated on 06/29/2025. Author: Jürgen Kummer

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