Offshore wind farms’ decommissioning: a semi quantitative Multi-Criteria Decision Aid framework

Abstract

In this paper a framework for identifying an appropriate decommissioning method for offshore wind farms is developed and applied. The whole approach is based on Multi-Criteria Decision Aid techniques that perform an integrated evaluation of three available wind farms’ decommissioning methods. A number of evaluation criteria are established and assessed on a semi quantitative basis. The preference of a diverse audience of pertinent stakeholders can be also incorporated in the overall analysis. The framework is applied in a case-study in the Netherlands. Even though the stakeholders included were hypothetical and their preferences only assumed the proposed overall approach, methodology and application could be useful for practitioners in the field.