According to Siemens, blade recyclability is a tricky issue for the wind industry, with the complex production process for blades, involving composite materials including resin, glass and carbon fibers, making disposal at the end of the wind turbine’s lifecycle challenging.
The RecyclableBlade recovery process uses a mild acidic solution to separate the materials at the end of the wind turbine’s lifetime. Those materials can then be recycled for use in other industrial applications such as construction, consumer goods, or automotive, the company said.
“The concept was always foreseen to encompass solutions for offshore and onshore, and we’re pleased to now provide them commercially to our customers in both market segments,” said Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Gamesa.
The company aims to have fully recyclable wind turbines by 2040 and is working with industry body WindEurope in calling for a Europe-wide ban on landfill for blades.
