Elster wind farm - Six times more power through repowering
Elster wind farm - Six times more power through repowering - Germany’s Elster wind farm just proved the power of repowering: 16 modern turbines replaced 50 old ones, boosting output sixfold while using less land. The same opportunity now exists across aging U.S. solar sites.
Sixteen new Siemens Gamesa turbines just replaced fifty aging ones at the Elster wind farm in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.
The site is now one of Europe’s largest repowering projects, producing six times more electricity while using a third less land.
Annual generation jumped from 36 GWh to 235 GWh thanks to taller towers (165 meters), longer blades (77.5 meters), and modern engineering. The upgrade required a new transformer station and will soon grow by two more turbines this year.
The old Enercon turbines, removed between 2021 and 2022, are being reused as spare parts or redeployed, including to power a gold mine in Australia.
This is repowering in action. It shows how clean energy output can be multiplied without building entirely new sites.
In the Northeast U.S., many solar arrays in New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are now 10–15 years old. Panels have degraded, and inverters are outdated. These sites could generate far more with today’s technology, often without increasing their footprint.
At Do Good Energy, we acquire these aging solar projects, repower them with modern equipment, and operate them so they keep delivering clean power to local communities for decades.
Multiplying output without multiplying land use is a win for everyone. Which projects near you are ready for a second life?
https://www.energate-messenger.com/news/255108/six-times-more-power-through-repowering