What efforts are being made to Increase sustainability of offshore turbines?

Previously, wind turbine components have been difficult to make sustainable due to a few factors. Composite materials that make up turbine blades, nacelles, and towers commonly use a resin system in their manufacturing that binds all components together. This resin system is difficult to separate once applied, which makes any repurposing and recycling efforts a challenge. Furthermore, turbine blade manufactures have been using mainly fiberglass during the construction process. Turbine blades have an estimated life span of 25 years. After replacement of a blade, many end up in landfills (1). Some companies have attempted to reuse them for recreational construction projects such as playgrounds and public bike shelters (2). Other's have explored repurposing the materials for making concretes (3) and other flooring materials. While these ideas are undergoing innovation, the scale of which turbine blades are being found in landfills outweigh recycling efforts. A solution to this growing problem started in September 2021, when renewable energy company, RWE, tested the first recyclable wind turbine blade (4) at an offshore wind farm in Germany. This technology utilizes a new resin chemical structure that can be easily separated from other turbine elements. This process does not damage the components either, allowing them to be reused for other applications. Only 18 months after initial testing in March of 2023, RWE alongside renewable energy company, Siemens Gamesa, are deploying recyclable blades (5) on 44 offshore wind turbines in the UK.

RWE Infographic of the first recyclable wind turbine blade process in 2021.

Source: Sarah Knauber, RWE (4)

Additionally, in April 2023, Siemens Gamesa announced the development of their new sustainable steel (6), the GreenerTower. Conventional steel manufacturing is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, contributing to over a third of all wind-turbine-related CO2 emissions. Approximately 80% of turbine towers consist of steel plates which can now be replaced by Siemens Gamesa's greener steel. They estimate a 63% reduction in CO2 emissions from turbines with the use of GreenerTower manufacturing.

References

1. Kim, M. (2024, August 30). Turbine Blades have piled up in landfills. A solution may be coming. - The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/30/climate/wind-turbine-recycling-climate.html

2. These bike shelters are made from wind turbines. World Economic Forum. (2021a, October 19). https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/10/recycle-bike-wind-turbine/

3. Veolia recognized for being on the “cutting edge” of Wind Turbine Blade Recycling. Veolia North America. (2022, December 21). https://www.veolianorthamerica.com/media/newsroom/veolia-recognized-being-cutting-edge-wind-turbine-blade-recycling

4. ​Rwe. (2021, January 7). RWE tests world’s first recyclable wind turbine blade at its offshore wind farm Kaskasi. RWE. https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-renewables/2021-09-07-rwe-tests-worlds-first-recyclable-wind-turbine-blade-at-its-offshore-wind-farm-kaskasi/

5. Rwe. (2023, March 1). RWE’s Sofia offshore wind farm to use recyclable blades. RWE. https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-offshore-wind-gmbh/2023-03-09-rwes-sofia-offshore-wind-farm-to-use-recyclable-blades/

6. Siemens Gamesa. (2023, April 21). Siemens Gamesa leads wind circularity with the launch of a tower made of Greener Steel. https://www.siemensgamesa.com/global/en/home/press-releases/042123-siemens-gamesa-press-release-greener-tower.html