Rewind to 2002 for a minute. Eminem’s The Eminem Show is the best-selling album globally, Brazil has just lifted the men’s football World Cup (again), and Nokia’s 3310 is helping usher in a new era of mobile communication. That old ‘brick’ phone might seem rudimentary by today’s standards, but it was game-changing technology back then. The same can be said of the windfarms that started appearing in the UK around the same time.
Indeed, 2002 was a stellar year for the country’s burgeoning renewables sector. A relaxation of planning laws and improvements in turbine technology saw wind energy truly take off. But, unlike those old 3310s, which were soon upgraded, many early turbines are still in action – and nearing the end of their working lives.
Wind turbine technology has made huge leaps forward since 2002. Like phones, modern versions are more efficient and smarter. They can now, for instance, angle their blades to optimise wind energy. These efficiency gains present a major opportunity for the UK as it replaces – or to use industry lingo, ‘repowers’ – its ageing fleet.
