Wind power is one of the UK’s most abundant sources of renewable energy. Ensuring wind turbines operate reliably and extending their useful lifetimes are important to achieving a sustainable energy future.
The newly elected Labour government—as part of its plans to transform the UK into a “clean energy superpower”—wants to drastically expand renewables capacity, which includes quadrupling offshore wind capacity to 52 GW by 2030. It has also pledged to bring forward the country’s net zero emissions target from 2050 to 2030, in a bid to tackle climate change and create high-quality green jobs.
This is welcome news to the wind industry, of course—but there are challenges to overcome first. Public resistance to wind farms (the “NIMBY” threat, that is, “not in my backyard”) is the most well-known. However, there are other fundamental issues around the lifecycle of wind turbines, and collaboration between…
