Do wind turbine blades end their life?

Most blades end their lives in landfill or are incinerated. It’s a problem that’s vexed the wind energy industry and provided fodder for those who seek to discredit wind power. But in February, Danish wind company Vestas said it had cracked the problem.

Can wind turbine blades be recycled?

Turbine blades made from a new plant-based material could make them recyclable. The blades on the newest wind turbines sweep an area longer than a football field and are nearly impossible to recycle. At the end of their life span of around 20 years, they are chopped into pieces and buried in a handful of landfills across the Great Plains.

Why are wind turbine blades difficult to re-process?

Due to the nature of the materials used in wind turbine blades, namely glass fibre reinforced thermoset polymer composite, wind turbine blades are technically difficult to re-process and convert into new valuable materials.

Can wind turbine blades be transformed into new materials?

First, end-of-life wind turbine blades are transformed into new materials. The processes transforming wind turbine blade materials were briefly summarized in this review also listing their advantages and challenges.

Should wind turbine blades be changed for an easier end-of-life processing?

To conclude this section, changing the material of wind turbine blades for an easier end-of-life processing seems only relevant when the wind turbine blade structure, the recycling process and the application for the recovered materials are considered and designed at the same time.

Are wind turbine blades wasteful?

Current options are not only wasteful but have environmental drawbacks. Incineration brings pollution and, while wind companies say there is no toxicity issue with landfilling blades, Barlow said that’s not yet totally clear. “That’s not as benign as you might think,” she said. Turbine blade materials make recycling hard and costly.