title-wind

Exclusive Articles

The Second Life of Wind: Inside the Digital Marketplace Turning Old Turbines into New Opportunities

Published in: Wind, Digital Blog

The Second Life of Wind: Inside the Digital Marketplace Turning Old Turbines into New Opportunities image

As Europes first generation of wind turbines reaches the end of its operational life, a critical question emerges: what happens next? A French startup, Renvo, is providing a powerful answer by turning old turbines into new opportunities.

Founded by Alexandre Bousquet and Nicolas Vrecourt, Renvo has created a digital marketplace to connect sellers and buyers of second-hand wind turbines across Europe. The platforms core mission is to promote a circular economy, prioritizing opportunities that deliver the greatest value through reinstallation, component repurposing, or materials recycling. It also serves as a vital hub for spare parts, maximizing the use of existing resources.

A Transparent Alternative to the Status Quo

Traditionally, dismantling companies operate on a turnkey basis, often providing owners with limited information and quoting turbines at their scrap metal value. If the equipment is later resold at a higher price, the original owner sees no benefit.

Renvo disrupts this model with full transparency.

  • It operates on a brokerage model, earning a percentage of each completed transaction.
  • Customers know exactly where their dismantled turbines are going, to whom, and at what price.
  • This clarity gives owners and developers greater control and confidence, creating incentives for better turbine maintenance and more responsible end-of-life planning.

As awareness of the resale value grows, Renvo anticipates broader adoption of these circular practices.

Comprehensive Support Beyond the Marketplace

Renvo is more than just a matchmaking platform. The company offers a suite of project support services to ensure a smooth transition for every asset. These include:

  • Dismantling
  • Transportation
  • Refurbishment
  • Recertification
  • Reassembly

Handling turbines that have been operating for 15 to 20 years requires significant technical expertise. Poor decommissioning can damage components and reduce their resale value. By working with experienced partners across Europe, Renvo ensures each turbine is disassembled properly, preserving its integrity. The company even offers cost-effective, long-term storage for projects with delays between refurbishment and reinstallation.

Rigorous Evaluation and Lifespan Analysis

A critical aspect of the second-hand market is understanding the true condition of the assets. Before a transaction, owners are advised to provide a complete data room with all available information.

The evaluation process is thorough:

  • Third-party inspections are conducted before dismantling to help determine the turbines remaining lifespan.
  • Renvo estimates the theoretical value of each machine, factoring in technology reputation, turbine type, and fleet age.
  • This value is then adjusted based on inspection results.

The goal is to identify turbines with strong remaining potential. In some early projects, turbines demonstrated theoretical lifespans of 36 years or more, often due to robust engineering in the early 2000s and operation in low-wind-stress environments. This proves the viability of reusing turbines across various regions.

The Compelling Economics of Second-Hand Wind

One of the most significant benefits of second-hand turbines is their cost-effectiveness. A useful benchmark is around €600,000 per megawatt. This figure covers the equipment purchase (up to €300,000 per turbine) as well as all operational costs for dismantling, transport, reconditioning, and reassembly.

This price point makes used turbines particularly appealing for developers with limited budgets or those focused on smaller-scale and self-consumption projects.

The Challenge: Sourcing and Project Matching

The biggest challenge for Renvo is identifying turbines scheduled for removal early enough for developers to plan for their reuse. While many tenders are issued just six months before removal, the company recommends starting the process 12 to 18 months in advance to allow time for permits and site preparation.

To build a consistent supply, the team actively sources turbines from countries like Germany and Spain, while noting the high quality of assets from Frances milder wind conditions. This supply is then expertly matched with a growing database of upcoming installation projects, considering regional permitting, remuneration schemes, and logistics.

Looking ahead, Renvo plans to integrate digital forecasting tools and explore partnerships in emerging markets, where cost-effective turbines can play a key role in rural electrification.

More from across PES