Authors of a recently issued paper from different schools of the University of Hull have looked into decommissioning options for offshore wind industry.
As the offshore wind industry is relatively new but increasing globally, they believe it is important that the whole life-cycle is managed.
The paper, titled “Renewables-to-reefs? – Decommissioning options for the offshore wind power industry” considers the main decommissioning options – partial or complete removal of all offshore wind farm components.
“The maintenance of artificial reefs after offshore wind farm decommissioning combined with marine spatial planning is an environmentally sustainable solution,” report says.
They also propose “renewables-to-reefs” programme, allowed under national, European and international governance, which has accepted precedence in the US “rigs to reefs” programme.