The pioneering research was carried out by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult in partnership with wind power company RWE.

Sally Poxon, principal validation engineer at ORE Catapult, said: “With hundreds of wind turbines, both onshore and offshore, approaching the end of their planned life cycles over the next few years, it’s important that we understand more about how to potentially extend the life of turbine blades.

"This is a vital part of making sure we have a clear route to meeting the UK’s clean power and net zero targets.

“We believe this could be a breakthrough moment for the wind industry, and one which further underlines the value and importance of this type of bespoke physical testing.”

The physical blade testing was carried out at ORE Catapult’s test facility in Blyth and focused on a blade which had already been in operation for 20........

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