With worries about climate change being a hot topic in recent years, it comes as no surprise that plenty of countries globally are changing their power consumption and switching to renewable sources of energy.
One of the most popular sustainable alternative energies is definitely the wind one. In places such as Denmark, in 2019, more than 50 percent of the electricity was generated from solar power and wind.
In fact, towering wind turbines have become a familiar sight in this country’s landscape.
Wind Energy Isn’t Perfect (yet)
Wind energy may be increasingly popular, but there are pros and cons to it as well as certain concerns that have surfaced out in recent years. One of them is the recycling of decommissioned wind turbine blades.
Because of the strength, they need to function properly. They’re made of composite materials such as foams, resins, and glass fibers. These substances are generally non-biodegradable and hard to recycle.
Their estimated lifespan is 20 years so a lot of these turbines need to be decommissioned eventually. General estimates show that by 2050, there will be around 40 million tons of waste from the global wind industry.
Good News Is There Are Companies & Researchers Looking for Solutions to the Decommissioned Turbines
Several researchers and companies are already looking for sustainable methods to recycle and repurpose decommissioned wind turbine blades.
One example is the Re-Wind Network. They’ve already started repurposing some blades as bike garages in Denmark. These researchers are also working on ways to recycle wind turbine blades in architecture and use them as a boost for the infrastructure.
Other ideas involve using the blades to make skate parks, noise barriers, and footbridges.
According to Lawrence C. Bank from the Georgia Institute of Technology, they’re looking into the reuse of blades in the realms of engineering and architecture. Bank adds that developing them can positively influence the water and air quality by reduction of the non-biodegradable waste.
Making Wind Turbines More Sustainable Is also an Option
Besides repurposing the turbines, companies are also looking into ways of re-engineering them to make them suitable for more sustainable disposal.
Siemens Gamesa, a leading renewable energy company, is leading the way with its development and launch of the first recyclable wind turbine blade for commercial use.
The blades are made of resin (new type) whose structure eases the breakdown and separation from the other elements of the blade so it can be recycled.
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