Decision Support Framework for Reliable and Cost-effective Repowering of Bottom-fixed Offshore Wind Farms

Further growth of offshore wind to provide “enough electricity to power every home in the UK within a decade”, as PM Boris Johnson has pledged, requires using all the potential in the offshore wind industry. So far, repowering of offshore wind turbines has been just limited to one case in Sweden a couple of years ago although repowering of onshore turbines is relatively common with successful projects (Cornwall Insight's tracker found 20 onshore wind sites totalling 665MW filed planning applications). The reasons limiting offshore wind turbines repowering are related to the uncertainty involved in the estimating the profitability of the repowering versus life-extension and decommissioning that makes the decision difficult for the owner and/or operator of the wind farms offshore. Another factor is the lack of information and a reliable framework and standard. This project aims to develop a reliable framework that provides robust and cost-effective repowering decision support for offshore wind turbines. The project has the following objectives:

Developing an advanced method to predict the remaining useful life;

Comparing life extension, decommissioning and repowering considering sustainability, suitability and Levelized cost of energy (LCOE);

Developing a decision-support tool to select the best practice for repowering.  

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

1. Apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering at the School of Natural and Built Environment.
2. State name of lead supervisor on application (Madjid Karimirad).
3. Include the intended source of funding on the QUB application form (DfE Collaborative Studentship).
4. To apply, visit https://dap.qub.ac.uk/portal/user/u_login.php (links to the QUB Direct Application Portal).

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Applicants should use the ‘Research Proposal’ section on the QUB application form to provide a 1000-word (maximum) discussion of the project description outlining:

• An understanding of the proposed research question(s) aims and objectives.
• The broader context of the research and its relevance to engineering and science.
• A methodological approach to the work.
• Options for analysis the data gathered.