Repowering

Repowering refers to the replacement of old plants for electricity from new plants, for example, with higher efficiency. The term is used primarily in connection with wind turbines; other power plants is often spoken of " new power plant ", although parts of existing facilities and infrastructure continue to be used. Repowering can also change the type of power plant: for example, an old coal-fired power plant to be replaced by a newer combined cycle power plant. A concrete example of repowering and conversion into a combined cycle power plant block is 1/2 of the power plant Simmering.

The advantage of repowering, to a new plant, located in the existing permit and the higher acceptance of local residents. New approvals are often the root cause of civic protests.

Optimal timing for repowering

Power generation systems, like all technical systems, mostly designed for a certain lifetime. Then either done a thorough work-up, in which we replace many core components, or the system is shut down. When is a good time for repowering, also depends on other factors:

  • How much has evolved the technology of the plant since commissioning
  • How much is the maintenance cost of the old system
  • Pending if major repairs or maintenance
  • Such as alternative technologies have evolved
  • How the fuel costs and their relation to each other (oil: gas: coal) have developed and how to assess their future price development
  • If you can spare the investment during the reconstruction period
  • If a plant was destroyed by accident or severely damaged

If you change the type of power plant, the purpose of the respective power plant is to be considered (base load, medium load, peak load ). It is also possible to replace nuclear power plants by conventional thermal power plants (and vice versa). If a thermal power plant must be replaced by a new facility no matter what type, the maximum capacity of the new plant of the maximum permissible heating of the water is dependent.

Wind energy

A great importance has repowering in the wind energy industry. Wind turbines are designed for a lifetime of about 25 years. Due to the rapid development of technology in recent years, it is economically feasible to replace old, small plants with new and larger before the end of the technical lifetime. For used equipment, an international market has developed that focuses in particular on systems that are still being built in this form. Often the older plants are also used as spare parts.

Benefits of Repowering for the general public

  • New WKA run quieter (because the number of turns decreases with increasing rotor diameter, as it is necessary for more powerful systems, often results in a halving)
  • New wind turbines are quieter (improved wing aerodynamics and geometry )
  • Modern systems are much more compatible than old power grid
  • New wind turbines produce significantly more power output than old WKA. In many wind farms is after repowering only half or a third of the pre-existing wind turbine number
  • By repowering also planning errors from the pioneering years of wind energy use (eg for small distances to residential areas ) can be corrected or individual locations will be merged into wind farms.
  • Repowering new regulations and laws must be obeyed (eg TA noise and new spacing rules ).
  • In 2012, arrived in Germany 9359 systems an age of 12 years or more. They are especially on windy northern German coastal locations and offer great potential for repowering. Together, they come to a power of 6,104 MW.

Benefits for operators

  • New wind turbines reach through technological advancement and changes in the structural design (eg greater hub height or a higher rotor area per kW rated power), usually more full load hours. At twice the rated power (typical: 2 MW instead of 1 MW) is calculated as a guide usually with three times the power output of an old WKA. Mid-1990s had many then-new 0.5 MW wind turbine ( = 500 kW); around the year 2000, there were 1 MW, currently, the average power of 2 MW.
  • New wind turbines are more reliable and require less maintenance than old.
  • Who wants to build on a new, hitherto not used for wind turbine location, a wind turbine, will have to wait a long planning process and can not be sure that the site is approved at the end of a wind turbine. Existing locations enjoy grandfathering. Most residents are happy when the number of wind turbines decreases significantly in one area and be placed instead fewer (and larger ) Wind turbines - if they have opposition or contradiction opportunities, they will not use them in most cases.
  • In Germany granted in 2004 for the first time an amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act ( EEG) financial incentives for repowering of old wind turbines. Which entered into force on 1 January 2009 amended EEG increased the incentives for repowering clear: For wind turbines on land ( " onshore " ) increases the initial rate of 7.87 to 9.2 cents / kWh, is added for Repoweringanlagen a bonus of 0.5 cents / kWh. The replaced equipment must be from the same or adjacent county, and have been put into operation before 1 January 2002. A new system must reach at least double the performance of the replaced equipment.

Possible Problems

It is not always possible to replace existing wind turbines with larger and thus usually higher plants, for example, if no higher investments are permitted for reasons of endangerment of aviation. Larger plants also require more elaborate foundations, which can greatly increase the cost of Repoweringmaßnahmen in adverse ground conditions. It may also occur under certain circumstances, the delivery of large components to problems.

Wind power
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