What happens to wind turbines after 20 years?
Post-EEG wind energy: a market in transition, explained factually.
The end of the EEG subsidy
After 20 years of operation, wind turbines in Germany lose their statutory feed-in tariff under the EEG. By 2025 this affects a cumulative total of around 12 gigawatts of installed capacity (source: FA Wind / Bundesnetzagentur). Thousands of technically sound turbines face the same question: continued operation, repowering, or dismantling.
An economic problem, not a technical one
Many of these turbines are well maintained and could produce electricity for years to come. What ends is not the technology but the business model of a fixed feed-in tariff: manufacturers' full-service contracts expire, warranties end, and operating small single turbines is no longer worthwhile for large operators. This is exactly what creates a market for specialised operators with manufacturer-independent service.
Pooling instead of single-asset risk
Operating a single ageing turbine is risky – one major component failure can wipe out a full year's result. When several turbines are operated as a pool, technical risks, maintenance and reserves are spread across a portfolio – a principle familiar from investing as diversification.
Continued operation is climate protection
Keeping existing turbines running avoids the CO₂ footprint of dismantling and new construction: foundations, towers and infrastructure already exist, and recycling rates of over 90% only apply at the actual end of life. Ecologically and economically, there is a strong case for letting working turbines keep running.
Go deeper: our whitepaper
Our free whitepaper “Wind-power repowering: the underrated real asset” sums up the key points for you in a compact read.
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