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The aim of this paper is to determine the main costs and the feasibility of repowering wind farms. For this purpose, two study methods, which depend on legal and wind turbines issues, have been considered. They will provide nine alternatives, whose study will be developed. The methodology has been applied to the particular case of Galicia (North-West of Spain), where there is a good onshore wind resource. Calculations indicate the costs, the Net Present Value (NPV), the Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and the Pay-Back Period of these alternatives. In addition, a sensitivity study has analyzed the main variables of dependence in repowering wind farms. Results show that repowering can be a new alternative for onshore wind farms in areas where old wind turbines are currently installed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to apply a method to determine the economic feasibility of floating offshore wind farms at Portugal continental coast. The method proposed has several phases: geographic, economic and restrictions. The objective of the geographic phase is to estimate the input variables that will be afterwards used to calculate the economic parameters in the economic phase. The restriction of bathymetry, the last stage, is then added to the economic maps previously calculated, whose value will be different depending on the floating offshore wind device chosen. In this study, two scenarios for electric tariff have been taken into consideration as well several floating offshore wind substructures: semisubmersible, TLP and spar. Results indicate what is the best floating offshore wind platform in terms of economic parameters and where is the best area, in the study region, to implement floating offshore wind farms. • a method to determine the economic feasibility of floating offshore wind farms at Portugal continental coast is applied. • The method proposed has several phases: geographic, economic and restrictions. • The restriction of bathymetry, the last stage, is then added to the economic maps previously calculated. • Two scenarios for electric tariff have been taken into consideration as well several floating offshore wind substructures. • Results indicate what is the best floating offshore wind platform in terms of economic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the economic feasibility of offshore wind farms installed in deep waters considering their internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV), and levelized cost of energy (LCOE). The method proposed has three phases: geographic phase, economic phase, and restrictions phase. The purpose of the geographic step is to obtain the input values, which will be used in the economic phase. Then, the economic parameters are calculated considering the inputs provided previously. Finally, the bathymetric restriction is added to the economic maps. The case study focused on the Cantabric and North-Atlantic coasts of Spain, areas that have not been studied previously in economic terms regarding floating offshore wind technology. Moreover, several alternatives have been considered, taking into account the type of floating offshore wind structure and the electric tariff. Results indicate which is the best floating offshore wind structure with respect to LCOE, IRR, and NPV, and where is the best location for the connection of a floating offshore wind farm in the region selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a methodology to determine the economic feasibility of implementing offshore wave energy farms on the Portuguese continental coast. This methodology follows several phases: the geographic phase, the energy phase, the economic phase, and the restrictions phase. First, in the geographic phase, the height and the period of the waves, the bathymetry, the distance from the farm to the shore, from farm to shipyard, and from farm to port, are calculated. In the energy phase the energy produced by each wave energy converter is determined, and in the economic phase, the parameters calculated in the previous phases are used as input to find the economic parameters. Finally, in the restrictions phase, a limitation by the bathymetry will be added to the economic maps, whose value will be different depending on the floating offshore wave energy converter (WEC). In this study, three wave energy converters have been considered, Pelamis, AquaBuOY, and Wave Dragon, and several scenarios for electric tariffs have been taken into account. The results obtained indicate what the best WEC is for this study in terms of its levelized cost of energy (LCOE), internal rate of return (IRR), and net present value (NPV), and where the best area is to install wave energy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]