Fresh from production, the first recyclable wind turbine blade of the ZEBRA project
(Sustainabilityenvironment.com) – Wind energy is one of the pillars of the global ecological transition. But the industry has yet to solve some environmental problems. Starting from the need to close the production cycle, to lighten its footprint as much as possible. The main obstacle is the turbine blades. These elements are currently made of composite materials closely linked to each other and for this reason difficult to recycle. The recipe is essential to ensure the blades’ lightness and resistance to even the most extreme conditions. However, at present, the old components are mostly destined for landfills.
To reverse the trend, the wind industry has embraced the principles of the circular economy in recent years, setting ambitious goals and forward-looking projects. In September 2021, Siemens Gamesa launched the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blade. And today GE Renewable Energy is ready to do the same. Through his subsidiary LM Wind Power, he designed and manufactured a 62-metre recyclable wind turbine blade at his plant in Ponferrada, Spain.
The product uses a special resin from the French chemical company Arkema and new high-performance glass materials provided by Owens Corning.
“With this project we are addressing two crucial industry challenges”, said John Korsgaard, senior director for engineering excellence at LM Wind Power. “On one hand, we are progressing on our Zero Waste Blades vision by preventing and recycling manufacturing waste. On the other, we are taking blade recyclability to a new level: the end-of-life thermoplastic composite blade material has high value in itself and can be readily utilized in other industries as material compounds but can also be depolymerized and the resin reused in the production of new blades”.
The prototype is part of the larger ZEBRA (Zero waste Blade research) project, led by the French research center IRT Jules Verne. The initiative brings together industrial companies and technical centers to demonstrate on a large scale the technical, economic and environmental relevance of wind turbines equipped with an eco-design that facilitates recycling. LM Wind Power will now begin structural durability testing to verify properties and performance.