Prospective material flow analysis of the end-of-life decommissioning: Case study of a North Sea offshore wind farm
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Authors
Early offshore wind farms approach their decommissioning phase, yet a lack of precedents, potential legal bottlenecks, inadequate treatments and a lack of applicable circularity indicators, leave the sector unprepared, encompassing a risk of valuable materials loss. This paper presents a first-of-its-kind circularity analysis of the prospective decommissioning scenario of a North Sea wind farm, introducing and applying new circularity indicators. From the site-specific primary data, a bill of materials and material flow analysis was established, differentiating between secondary applications and end-of-life destinations. The main share (80 %) of the installed mass originated from scour protection, acting as hotspot to the 84 % of materials remaining in situ. The collected fraction recycling rate approaches 90 %. However, the substantial discrepancies between components and materials implicate a need for component or material-specific targets to avoid valuable material loss. Introducing such collection or recycling targets could encourage more circular decommissioning practices along the value chain.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 107283 |
Journal | Resources, Conservation and Recycling |
Volume | 200 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISSN | 0921-3449 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01.01.2024 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
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- Circular economy, End-of-life, Material flow analysis, Offshore wind energy, Recycling indicators, Waste management