Evaluation of the environmental impacts related to the wind farms end-of-life

In the last decades, the adoption of renewable energy, namely wind source, in Europe, have increased significantly. And it will continue to grow, as part of a strategy to reach the Paris Agreement and the Carbon-neutrality by 2050 goals. Simultaneously, the oldest wind farms are getting into their end-of-life (EoL) and uncertainties regarding the main aspects of the possible scenarios still remain, such as standards procedures, legislation and environmental impacts (emissions, pollution, etc.). Regarding the waste management, 85% to 90% of all the components of the wind turbine may be recycled, however the final disposal of the blades represents a unique concern, as this process is not completely well-established. Thus, the environmental impacts and relevant aspects related to the wind project flow may be assessed using the life cycle assessment. Moreover, the environmental study of new projects is a good source to identify possible impacts. Thus, this research aims to identify and analyse the main environmental impacts related to the end-of-life of wind farms scenarios, based on the state of the art and a literature review. Moreover, it gives floor to the discussion regarding the uncertainties about this very important stage, the final disposal of wind farms' components emphasizing d the application of the principles of the circular economy. (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

In Europe, the adoption of wind energy as a renewable energy source has significantly increased in the last decades and will continue to grow to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and carbon-neutrality by 2050. However, uncertainties regarding the end-of-life scenarios of wind farms, including standard procedures, legislation, and environmental impacts, still exist. The recycling rate of wind turbine components is high, but the final disposal of blades remains a concern. This study aims to identify and analyze the main environmental impacts related to the end-of-life scenarios of wind farms and highlight the application of circular economy principles.