Objective:
The sustainability and recyclability of wind turbines became especially important due to the ageing and decommissioning of wind turbines installed in the 2000s. While 90% of wind turbine structures are recyclable
and reusable, the recycling of polymer composites-based blades remains a significant challenge for the
wind energy industry. To address this problem, the IEA Wind TCP Task 45 international network is built around three multi-disciplinary topics: 1) the technical aspects of recycling, waste prevention, reuse, and recycling technology; 2) integrated life cycle assessment and value chains, sustainable business models, and circular economy; and 3) standardization, certification, and legislation. The aim is to identify, explore, influence, and support decisions through exchange of information, analysis, and targeted dissemination of results.
Expected outcome:
Composite materials, designed to withstand decades of extreme mechanical and environmental loading, are not easy to separate into reusable parts. The recycling of WTBs has been identified as a critical barrier to full material circularity of wind turbines. The major steps in overcoming this challenge are:
- Developing efficient technologies of recycling wind turbine blades;
- Analysis of the recycling value chain and its environmental, social and economic impact; and
- Development of new standards, certification, and legislation framing the activities related to WTB
recycling.
Guidelines and recommendations on the optimal recycling technologies, business models, legislation are developed in this project.
The International Conference on Sustainable Wind Turbine Blades: New Materials, Recycling and Future Perspectives, will take place at November 21-23, 2022, in Risø Campus, DTU, Denmark. The conference topics include New blade materials // bio-composites, recyclable thermosets, thermoplastics, bio-based resins, bio-based carbon fibres, Recycling // Reuse, repurpose, pyrolysis, solvolysis, Recycling value chain // Estimating and mapping wind turbine blade waste, circular economy, life cycle assessment of recycling processes, Future perspective // Design for recycling, recycling of recyclable wind turbine blades. Weblink: https://www.conferencemanager.dk/recyc.
The project has the following work packages:
WP1: Management
WP2: Technical aspects of recycling
WP3: Blade Lifecycle and Value Chain
WP4: Standardization, certification, and legislation
The project started in April 1, 2022 and will run til May 16, 2024
Total project budget: 1.304.419DKK.
Visit the IEA Wind TCP Task 45 website (link https://iea-wind.org/task45/) and learn more.