About the Course
The rapid growth of wind energy brings with it a pressing challenge: how to manage turbines and entire wind farms as they approach the end of their design life. With many assets now surpassing 20–25 years of operation, decisions around lifetime extension, repowering, or decommissioning have become critical. These choices require a careful balance of technical feasibility, financial performance, regulatory compliance, and sustainability.
Over five weeks, participants will build a comprehensive understanding of wind farm end-of-life management through a structured progression of methods, frameworks, and case perspectives.
Technical assessment：Learn how to evaluate structural integrity and remaining useful life using the latest techniques for condition monitoring, health assessment, and failure prediction.
Decision framework: Apply risk- and performance-based approaches to determine whether lifetime extension, repowering, or decommissioning creates the most value.
Economic tools: Gain practical skills with techno-economic models and life-cycle costing to compare alternative end-of-life scenarios under varying market and policy conditions.
Sustainability and circularity: Explore circular economy principles, including innovative strategies for component reuse, recycling, and material recovery—especially for blades and composite structures.
Policy and regulation: Situate technical and economic approaches within the broader regulatory landscape, understanding how evolving international standards and practices shape end-of-life strategies.
Course Modules
This course is designed around five thematic modules, with one key theme covered each week.
1.
Understanding the End-of-Life Challenge.
2.
Policy, Regulation and Certification.
3.
Technical Strategies and Circularity Pathways.
4.
Useful Life Estimation and Decision Support.
5.
Business Models, Risk and Strategic Planning.
Course Hightlights
Here are the key highlights of the program, designed to give you a clear picture of what sets this course apart and how it can strengthen your expertise in wind energy.
Delivered by DTU, the global leader in wind energy research and education, drawing on decades of experience and close collaboration with industry.
DTU is at the forefront of shaping global best practices, leading IEA Wind Task 42 on lifetime extension and Task 45 on blade recycling, and setting the international agenda for end-of-life strategies.
Teaching combines academic excellence, industry insights, and real-world case studies, ensuring participants gain both a solid theoretical foundation and practical, applicable skills.
Tailored for engineers, project developers, policymakers, and consultants who want to deepen their expertise in wind farm end-of-life management.
After this course, you can
Evaluate end-of-life options (lifetime extension, repowering, or decommissioning) using technical, economic, and environmental criteria.
Apply risk- and performance-based methodologies to assess structural integrity and remaining useful life of wind turbines.
Develop strategies for sustainable decommissioning and recycling, aligned with circular economy principles.
Understand policy, regulatory, and financial drivers influencing EoL decision-making across different markets.
Formulate integrated end-of-life management plans that balance stakeholder interests, sustainability targets, and cost-efficiency.
Assess the economic and ecological impacts of reuse versus recycling scenarios for wind turbine components.
5 weeks, hybrid, part-time
No special requirement.
The course is delivered in an accessible online format, offering asynchronous lecture recordings, synchronised lectures and hands-on workshops.
Evidence your learning with a Certificate of Achievement from the DTU on successful completion.
This course will be stackable with other LLL courses that will be developed by DTU Wind and Energy Systems, to form certain specialisations or micro-degrees.
Key Information
Meet your teachers
Learn from world-class researchers and passionate educators who bring cutting-edge expertise and hands-on experience into the classroom.
Justine Beauson
Development Engineer
Justine Beauson is a Development Engineer in the Department of Wind and Energy Systems at DTU. She is known for her expertise in sustainability, blade circularity, and recyclability of wind turbine composites, deeply involved in the research and practical implementation of...
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Mohit Sharma
Senior Vice Presiden at Marubeni Corporation
Singapore
“Solid and comprehensive overview!”
"For anyone considering a career transition, this course offers a solid and comprehensive overview of wind energy. It equips you with the essential knowledge and skills needed to smoothly transition into the wind energy field."
Sophie Yin
Renewables Engineer, Woodside Energy
Australia
“Flexible learning with outstanding support!”
“What I enjoy the most about the programme is the flexibility. I have been able to access the content around other aspects of my life, which has been very valuable. Also, the lecturers have made them available to the students online to answer questions and actually provide knowledge beyond the course, which I really enjoyed.”
Fahd Outailleur
Head of Engineering at Enel Green Power
Morocco
“Europe’s leader in wind energy”
“I chose to enrol in this wind energy master's program because DTU is the leading technical university in Europe, renowned for its specialization in wind energy. The program reflects the state of the art of the sector. Before joining, I knew some of their software programmes like WAsP and the Global Wind Atlas. So I was confident about the quality of the training.”
DTU Student Testimonials
Discover what DTU students have to say about their journey, their experiences, and the skills they’ve gained.
Financing Options
We offer a range of discounts and packages to make the programme more accessible.
Early Bird Discount
Register before 01 December
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Team-Based Learning
Enroll a group of 3 or more participants from the same company and benefit from special team pricing.
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For course-specific questions, please contact the course responsible Athanasios Kolios, Professor and Head of Section in the Department of Wind and Energy Systems at DTU, atko@dtu.dk
Didn't find what you were looking for? Or need a customised training solution for your company? Contact Karsten Kryger, Coordinator of Lifelong Learning at DTU Wind, kkry@dtu.dk