The new study correlated wind speeds using data from NASA and the actual recorded output from the turbines and concluded that the turbines will last 25 years before they need to be upgraded.
The research found that the UK’s earliest wind turbines, which were built in the 1990s, were still producing three quarters of their original output after 19 years of operation.
The study also highlighted that newer turbines were performing “even better than the earliest models, suggesting they could have a longer lifespan”.
Dr Iain Staffell, a research fellow at Imperial College Business School, said the study will help investors “to see that wind farms are an effective long term investment and a viable way to help the UK to tackle future energy challenges”.
Professor Richard Green, head of department at Imperial College Business School, added: “There have been concerns about the costs of maintaining aging windfarms and whether they are worth investing in.
“This study gives a thumbs up to the technology and shows that renewable energy is an asset for the long term.”