Circular Transition for the Wind Energy Sector

Circular Transition for the Wind Energy Sector: Focus on challenges and obstacles when two transitions (Energy & Circular) intervene.

Nadella, Sai Nikhil (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Hoppe, T. (mentor)
Schraven, D.F.J. (graduation committee)
Hu, Mingming (graduation committee)
Schäffner, Maarten (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineering

2020-10-23

Converging and lasting global issues such as climate change, global warming, resource depletion, etc. have urged interest in science, technology and policy for systemic societal change. These aspects have led the policy makers in the Netherlands to gradually adopt a transition approach. Over the past few years there is an increase in the electricity production from renewable sources with wind turbines being the largest contributors. Currently there are six offshore wind farms off the coast in the Netherlands and three more are expected to up by 2023. At the end of 2015 there were roughly at least 2525 onshore wind turbines generating 3000 megawatts (MW) of electricity. By 2020, Netherlands intended to have an onshore wind capacity of 6000 MW. While a lot is already being done towards renewable energy transition, there still lacks focus on several aspects. Currently, in most of the sectors that are focusing on renewable energy transition particularly the wind energy systems, the focus is mostly on cost efficiency or conversion efficiency and there has been less attention to environmental impact due to extraction of resources. Thus, it is crucial to change the nature of these renewable energy transitions and resource consumption so that it becomes circular. Recycling of renewable energy systems like wind turbines is rising up the agendas of policymakers, researchers and industrialists. However, circular economy is more than just recycling, this raises a question: What is hindering the transition towards a circular economy for the wind energy sector? Thus, the main objective of the research was to identify major challenges and obstacles hindering circular transition alongside the ongoing energy transition for the wind energy sector. Firstly, an elaborate literature review was conducted to understand the growth of the wind energy sector and the current state of energy transition, followed by the possibility of a circular transition for the wind energy as well. For the circular transition to befall, an elaborate literature review was conducted on transition studies, with a major focus on sustainable transitions. Considering there does not exist a transition framework for a circular transition, the comprehensive ‘failures framework’ was considered the most feasible method to capture the challenges and obstacles hindering circular transition for the wind energy sector. Three cases, an onshore, an offshore and near the shore were selected from various parts of the Netherlands. Data was collected from each case on various challenges and obstacles for the circular transition for the wind energy sector. Data collection for these cases was primarily done by interviews. Several challenges and obstacles were identified in each phase of wind farm development from design to decommissioning phase for both onshore and offshore wind farms, which were categorized under twelve failures mentioned in the failure’s framework. Eleven out of twelve types of failures were identified in the design and development phase and ten out of twelve types of failures were identified in the construction phase. And of all the challenges and obstacles identified majority of them were categorized under directionality failure followed by institutional failure. However, no challenges and obstacles have been categorized under these two failures in operation & maintenance phase and decommissioning phase only because the cases taken into consideration have not reached these phases of development yet. But these failures can be speculated to occur in both operation phase and decommissioning phase.Although, all the identified challenges and obstacles may not be applicable to every case but, the framework of failures obtained from this research definitely serves as a foundation or the starting point to understand why there is reluctance to adopt circular transition for the wind energy sector and what challenges are hindering this transition.On the whole, this research gives an overview of challenges and obstacles hindering circular transition for each phase of wind farm development and for the wind energy sector in general. The research also highlights different circular aspects and their level of consideration during the construction of wind farms. Although the research does not focus on providing solutions to the identified challenges and obstacles hindering circular transition and focuses on just the wind energy sector, it definitely takes one step towards the nexus of energy transition and circular transition.

Circular Economy
Circular Transition
Circular Construction
Energy Transition
Renewable Energy
Wind Energy
Failures Framework
Challenges & Obstacles

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a1767ec9-ee09-40e2-8f80-7722e9b9cfed

2022-10-23

Student theses

master thesis

© 2020 Sai Nikhil Nadella