Individual continued operation concepts for wind turbines 20+

Like all technical facilities, wind farms have a specific useful life.

The operating life is usually 20 years; thereafter, many operators ask themselves: dismantling, new construction or continued operation without EEG support? We assist you in developing different scenarios and will find – in cooperation with you - the best option for your wind farm. Energy consult creates individual concepts for continued operation for you as a wind farm operator and ensures the profitable operation of your wind farm after expiry of the statutory EEG feed-in tariff.

Continued operation report as a decision-making basis

We carry out complete and independent assessments for the sound and legally flawless continued operation of your wind turbine with a service life of over 20 years. This covers the analytical test including turbulence report as well as the practical test, which serves to check the stability of the wind turbine. As a result, you will receive the period for continued operation for your project or for the respective turbine.

We recommend carrying out the continued operations report 20+ in combination with a transmission endoscopy in the 18th year of operation. This gives you enough time to create the basic conditions and decisions for the continued operation, sale or repowering of your wind farm.

Post-EEG contract for operational management

The continued operation of wind farms after the expiry of the EEG remuneration presents the operator and thus also the operational management with special challenges. In order to meet these challenges, energy consult has designed an adapted contract for the operational management.

Payment arrangements

In order to give the operator the possibility to accumulate liquidity, the remuneration for post-EEG parks is flexible. Furthermore, energy consult offers the option in connection with a minimum remunerationfora variable remuneration depending on the revenues. For this option, energy consult needs information about the remuneration structure as well as further technical data of the wind farm. Thus, energy consult partially relieves the operator of the remuneration risk, especially inwindlessyears.

Contract period

If the continued operation of individual wind turbines is no longer economically viable (e.g. in the event of a major component failure), they can be terminated individually with decommissioning. The contract term has been made more flexible for the post-EEG scenario.

Power purchase agreements (PPAs) for wind farms that are no longer subsidised

In addition to the discontinuation of the EEG feed-in tariff, plant operators are exposed to the fluctuating market price in direct marketing.

This can lead to liquidity bottlenecks and jeopardise continued operations. The solution is to fix the electricity purchase price for a certain period (e.g. annually) in advance, which ensures stabilisation of earnings. Together with selected marketers, energy consult has developed power purchase agreements that are designed to meet the flexibility requirements for the operation of wind turbines that are no longer subsidised.

We see ourselves as "translators" between plant operators and electricity consumers and negotiate power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Energy consult takes over the search for a marketer and helps to conclude pre-negotiated agreements.

Our power purchase agreements are designed flexibly and tailored directly to your wind turbine.

Learn more about our contractual design and your advantages.

Repowering as an alternative to continued operation

If continued operation is not economically attractive, we will also support you in the repowering of your wind farm. In this context, a new review of the expert opinions takes place and the approval procedure is routinely carried out so that the cycle starts all over again. By way of repowering, the generation of electricity can be multiplied with a lower number of wind turbines.

We provide the following services:

• Analysis of repowering options
• Securing the locations
• Selecting the optimum wind turbine & turbine site (micrositing)
• Securing the grid connection
• Obtaining approval under the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG)
• Winding-up of the existing wind farm
• Realisation of the new wind farm