Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies

Abstract Many of Europe’s wind farms are nearing the end of their operational lives, threatening overall wind energy capacity. This study examines wind turbine repowering as a solution, particularly through the deployment of advanced turbine technologies. It compares the novel X-ROTOR turbine with t...

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Main Authors: Dorcas Mikindani, Peter Deeney, Niall P. Dunphy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-07-01
Series:Sustainable Energy Research
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40807-025-00187-7
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author Dorcas Mikindani
Peter Deeney
Niall P. Dunphy
author_facet Dorcas Mikindani
Peter Deeney
Niall P. Dunphy
author_sort Dorcas Mikindani
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Many of Europe’s wind farms are nearing the end of their operational lives, threatening overall wind energy capacity. This study examines wind turbine repowering as a solution, particularly through the deployment of advanced turbine technologies. It compares the novel X-ROTOR turbine with traditional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) using the International Jobs and Economic Development Impact (I-JEDI) model to assess regional impacts of deploying 5GW capacity. Results suggest that X-ROTOR offers notable cost advantages, which can improve the economic viability of wind farms particularly under manufacturing localization scenarios. Sensitivity analyses confirm that these outcomes are consistent across a range of manufacturing input assumptions, supporting the robustness of the findings. This research highlights the potential of innovative turbine technologies to boost energy efficiency, reduce costs, and support the EU's decarbonisation goals.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2731-9237
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Sustainable Energy Research
spelling doaj-art-536e9a89b91c4ac3983f3d431fde30122025-08-20T03:46:17ZengSpringerOpenSustainable Energy Research2731-92372025-07-0112111310.1186/s40807-025-00187-7Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologiesDorcas Mikindani0Peter Deeney1Niall P. Dunphy2Sustainability Institute, University College CorkSustainability Institute, University College CorkSustainability Institute, University College CorkAbstract Many of Europe’s wind farms are nearing the end of their operational lives, threatening overall wind energy capacity. This study examines wind turbine repowering as a solution, particularly through the deployment of advanced turbine technologies. It compares the novel X-ROTOR turbine with traditional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) using the International Jobs and Economic Development Impact (I-JEDI) model to assess regional impacts of deploying 5GW capacity. Results suggest that X-ROTOR offers notable cost advantages, which can improve the economic viability of wind farms particularly under manufacturing localization scenarios. Sensitivity analyses confirm that these outcomes are consistent across a range of manufacturing input assumptions, supporting the robustness of the findings. This research highlights the potential of innovative turbine technologies to boost energy efficiency, reduce costs, and support the EU's decarbonisation goals.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40807-025-00187-7
spellingShingle Dorcas Mikindani
Peter Deeney
Niall P. Dunphy
Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
Sustainable Energy Research
title Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
title_full Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
title_fullStr Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
title_full_unstemmed Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
title_short Economic impacts of repowering wind turbines: a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
title_sort economic impacts of repowering wind turbines a comparative analysis of advanced wind turbine technologies
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40807-025-00187-7
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AT peterdeeney economicimpactsofrepoweringwindturbinesacomparativeanalysisofadvancedwindturbinetechnologies
AT niallpdunphy economicimpactsofrepoweringwindturbinesacomparativeanalysisofadvancedwindturbinetechnologies