Retrofitted wind turbine installation and a method of retrofitting a wind turbine installation with a replacement wind turbine

A method of retrofitting an existing wind turbine installation with a replacement wind turbine to form a retrofitted wind turbine installation, the existing wind turbine installation including a foundation and a wind turbine having a tower and an energy generating unit, the method comprising:

• disassembling at least a portion of the existing wind turbine;
• assembling a replacement tower to a remaining portion of the existing wind turbine installation, the replacement tower being a cable-stayed tower, the method further comprising;
• attaching a plurality of stay cables between the tower of the retrofitted wind turbine installation and stay cable foundations and tensioning the plurality of stay cables, wherein the stay cables reduce the bending loads being transferred to the foundation;
• and
• attaching a replacement energy generating unit to the replacement tower,
• wherein disassembling at least a portion of the existing wind turbine further comprises disassembling the energy generating unit and the tower of the existing wind turbine installation, thereby leaving the foundation to be reused with the retrofitted wind turbine installation.

A method of retrofitting an existing wind turbine installation with a replacement wind turbine to form a retrofitted wind turbine installation, the existing wind turbine installation including a foundation and a wind turbine having a tower and an energy generating unit, the method comprising:

• disassembling at least a portion of the existing wind turbine;
• assembling a replacement tower to a remaining portion of the existing wind turbine installation, the replacement tower being a cable-stayed tower, the method further comprising;
• attaching a plurality of stay cables between the tower of the retrofitted wind turbine installation and stay cable foundations and tensioning the plurality of stay cables, wherein the stay cables reduce the bending loads being transferred to the foundation;
• and
• attaching a replacement energy generating unit to the replacement tower,
• wherein disassembling at least a portion of the existing wind turbine further comprises disassembling a portion of the tower of the existing wind turbine installation, thereby leaving the foundation and a remaining portion of the tower of the existing wind turbine installation to be reused with the retrofitted wind turbine installation.