Wind power produces more electricity than any other form of renewable energy in the United Kingdom (UK) and plays a key role in decarbonisation of the grid. Although wind energy is seen as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, there are still several environmental impacts associated with all stages of the lifecycle of a wind farm. This study determined the material composition for wind turbines for various sizes and designs and the prevalence of such turbines over time, to accurately quantify waste generation following wind turbine decommissioning in the UK. The end of life stage is becoming increasingly important as a rapid rise in installation rates suggests an equally rapid rise in decommissioning rates can be expected as wind turbines reach the end of their 20–25-year operational lifetime. Waste data analytics were applied in this study for the UK in 5-year intervals, stemming from 2000 to 2039. Current practices for end of life waste management procedures have been analysed to create baseline scenarios. These scenarios have been used to explore potential waste management mitigation options for various materials and components such as reuse, remanufacture, recycling, and heat recovery from incineration. Six scenarios were then developed based on these waste management options, which have demonstrated the significant environmental benefits of such practices through quantification of waste reduction and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings. For the 2015–2019 time period, over 35 kilotonnes of waste are expected to be generated annually. Overall waste is expected to increase over time to more than 1200 kilotonnes annually by 2039. Concrete is expected to account for the majority of waste associated with wind turbine decommissioning initially due to foundations for onshore turbines accounting for approximately 80% of their total weight. By 2035–2039, steel waste is expected to account for almost 50% of overall waste due to the emergence of offshore turbines, the foundations of which are predominantly made of steel.

风力发电比英国（UK）的任何其他形式的可再生能源发电更多，并且在电网脱碳中发挥关键作用。尽管风能被视为化石燃料的可持续替代品，但风电场整个生命周期的各个阶段仍然存在若干环境影响。这项研究确定了各种尺寸和设计的风力涡轮机的材料成分以及此类涡轮机随时间的流行情况，以准确量化英国风力涡轮机退役后产生的废物。随着安装率的快速提高，随着风力涡轮机达到其20-25年的使用寿命，退役率的上升也将同样迅速，使用寿命的结束变得越来越重要。在这项研究中，从2000年到2039年，每5年对英国进行一次废物数据分析。对生命周期末期废物管理程序的现行做法进行了分析，以创建基准方案。这些方案已被用于探索各种材料和组件的潜在废物管理缓解方案，例如再利用，再制造，回收和焚烧热回收。然后根据这些废物管理方案制定了六种方案，这些方案通过量化废物减少量和温室气体（GHG）排放量证明了这种做法的重大环境效益。在2015-2019年期间，预计每年将产生35吨以上的废物。到2039年，随着时间的推移，整体废物预计将增加到每年1200多吨。由于陆上涡轮机的基础约占其总重量的80％，混凝土最初预计将占与风力涡轮机退役相关的大部分废物。到2035年至2039年，由于海上涡轮机的出现，钢铁废物预计将占总废物的近50％，其基础主要由钢制成。