Decommissioned wind turbines are turned into bridges in Ireland. This innovative solution is one of the ways that the industry is fighting against the major recycling issue with these turbines once they reach the end of their lifespan.
Also, some turbines are removed from service when there’s a need for bigger blades that can produce more energy.
By 2023, around 15000 turbine blades will have been decommissioned throughout the EU and the UK.
In Ireland, more than 11,000 tons of blades will be decommissioned by 2025.
The Strathclyde University predicted that the global waste of turbines is expected to increase from 400,000 tonnes per year in 2030 to two million tonnes by 2050.
Wind Turbines Are Not Biodegradable & Their Recycling Is Hard
The reinforced plastic and glass fiber of the materials that the turbines are made of aren’t biodegradable. This makes wind turbines very hard to recycle.
Therefore, ideas of what can be done with them afterward range from being turned into playground slides to processing the turbines into pellets for paints and glues.
There’s also reuse of the wind turbines as a building material for bridges. Their strength and the hollowness of the interior have inspired a decision to explore if they can be used as a steel alternative for construction projects like pedestrian bridges.
University College Corks started tests to include parts of the blades into a bridge across the Middleton-YoughalGreenway. These blades are made from decommissioned Nordex N29 turbine that’s 14 meters long.
For the purposes of this bridge that spans 5 meters, they cut a short part of the blade.
The blades are used as the main element of the bridge and are also functional in the design, according to Paul Leahy, lecturer in Wind Energy Engineering.
Interestingly, they’re also aesthetically attractive because of their slightly curved shape.
They’re also looking at other products that the decommissioned blades can be used for, for example, outdoor furniture.
Cork University College is part of the Re-Wind Project that includes experts from several universities and an institute.
Other repurposing options have been investigated by Re-Wind and they include highway noise barriers, coastal wake breaks for reduction of erosions, and electrical transmission towers.
Wind Turbines for Reinforced Concrete?
Another option has been embraced by the UK’s high-speed rail link contractor, Skanska Costain Strabag.
They worked with the National Composites Centre and swapped steel for retired wind turbine blades to strengthen concrete through a process that cuts the production of carbon by stunning 90 percent.
The blade sections are used in temporary access roads, as well as in top sections of concrete walls and ground-bearing plinths that form the base for portacabins.
If the projects prove to be successful, this may pave the way for the turbine blades to become a vital element in the construction industry.
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