A sacrificial element with the primary task of significantly reducing extreme base moments, rendering the entire wind turbine and its foundation intact, thus allowing for significant cost-reductions for on- and offshore repowering and installations in areas with extreme natural hazards.

As we begin to approach the end the service life of existing wind turbine farms, a new wave of wind turbine installations within existing wind turbine parks is imminent. But, as the cost of foundation decommissioning is very high, the current cost of repowering leaves the wind turbines struggling to compete with alternative energy sources. Foundation decommissioning is only necessary though, if the base moments of new wind turbine installations is greater than the design moments of the existing foundations, as most foundations have adequate residual fatigue life. The structural fuse ensures that the base moments of the new wind turbines are kept at a similar level to those designed for previously, thus allowing us to use existing foundations for new turbine installations. This leads to large reductions in foundation costs when repowering. Furthermore, recent years have shown a rising tendency and interest in installing wind turbines in regions with more extreme natural hazards, such as e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons. In these regions, the design is often governed by the Ultimate Limit State (ULS) loading. A properly designed structural fuse will lower the structural demands of a wind turbine tower and the foundation in case of a critical natural event, leading to a reduction in material costs, and as a consequence, the cost of energy.