A wind turbine at the Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm in the Irish Sea. With governments around the world attempting to increase their renewable energy capacity, the number of wind turbines around the world is only set to grow, which in turn will increase pressure on the sector to find sustainable solutions for blade disposal.
Ashley Cooper | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images
A major offshore wind farm being built in waters off the Netherlands is ready to use recyclable blades Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy – the latest in a line of companies trying to tackle the problem that has proved to be a challenge for the wind power sector.
in a statement on ThursdaySwedish energy firm Vattenfall said some of the wind turbines at the 1.5 gigawatt Holland’s Kst Zuid facility will use Siemens Gamesa’s recyclable blades. These blades, Vattenfall said, “use a resin type that dissolves in a low-temperature, mildly acidic solution.”
This, it explained, enables the resin to be separated from other components within the blade — carbon fiber, wood, fiberglass, metal and plastic — “without significantly affecting their properties.” The components can then be recycled and used again.
Offshore construction on Holland’s Kust Zuid, which will use 140 wind turbines, began in July 2021. It is jointly owned by Wattenfall, Allianz and BASF and is planned for commissioning for 2023.
industry headache
What to do with wind turbine blades when they are no longer needed is a headache for the industry. That’s because the composite material blades are made from can be difficult to recycle, which means that many end up in landfills when their service life is over.
With governments around the world attempting to increase their renewable energy capacity, the number of wind turbines around the world is only set to grow, which in turn will increase pressure on the sector to find sustainable solutions for blade disposal.
Vattenfall is one of several companies looking into the recycling and reuse of wind turbine blades – an objective that feeds the idea of creating a “circular economy” in which waste is minimized and products are recycled. is used and reused.
Earlier in June, Spanish energy firm iberdrola said it has jointly established a company with the FCC Ambito that plans to recycle components used in renewable energy installations, Including wind turbine blades. FCC Scope is a subsidiary of FCC Environmental Services.
In a statement at the time, Iberdrola said the company, known as EnergyLOOP, would develop a blade recycling facility in Navarre, northern Spain.
“The initial objective will be the recovery of wind turbine blade components – mostly glass and carbon fibers and resins – and their reuse in sectors such as energy, aerospace, automotive, textiles, chemicals and construction,” the company said.