🔎 What’s going on?
Earlier this week (on 7 September), Siemens Gamesa announced that it has made the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blade which can be recycled at the end of its life.
🍃 What does this mean?
An industry first, Siemens Gamesa claims to have made six, 81-meter long RecyclableBlade in its manufacturing plant in Aalborg, Denmark. They have already got agreements in place with three of its offshore customers: RWE Renewables, EDF Renewables, and wpd group. The first RecyclableBlade will be installed at the Kaskasi offshore wind power plant in Germany with RWE Renewables.
Most wind turbine blades are now typically made using carbon fiber (ten times stronger than steel), plastic, wood, and a resin system. Siemens has now created an innovative new resin (a sticky substance that’s used as an adhesive) system that makes it possible to efficiently separate all the components in the blade at the end of its life, paving the path for each material to then be reused in new applications. This means that once the blades have been dismantled from the turbine, the blades will be immersed in a heated mild acidic solution that will separate the resin from all the materials. These components can then be recovered from the solution and prepared for secondary use. The materials are now ready to be used in new products in the automotive industry or in consumer goods.
❓ Why should I care?
Currently, only 85% of a wind turbine is recyclable. Traditionally, it’s been extremely difficult to recycle the blades at their end of life and as a result the blades mostly end up in landfills. Given that blades have 25-year working lives, they generate millions of tons of material waste that do not break down naturally. Looking at production, carbon fiber blades are highly energy-intensive and they generate a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions when they are made.
🚦 Where do we need to be?
Pioneering manufacturing plants globally in any industry should have one goal - to reach 100% circularity. This means that whatever product they make, it should be 100% recyclable at the end of its life, extending the life of materials as much as possible. This pioneering RecyclableBlade introduces the prospect of achieving wind circularity for the first time, which is very exciting!
👤 What can I do about it?
As an individual, when buying products, always look to see how recyclable it is - the product itself and its packaging. The more recyclable the product is, the better it is for the environment.
As a company, look for ways to make your product 100% recyclable (i.e. every material can be re-used) and go further by also using 100% recycled materials (i.e. these materials are not virgin materials) if possible. This will ensure your products are deemed 100% circular.
Related: H&M introduces groundbreaking garment recycling instore
Photo credit: Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash