By 2050, it is estimated that 43 million tons of blades from wind turbines will have to be scrapped, with limited recycling options. Siemens Gamesa wants to solve this problem, and at the wind turbine manufacturer's factory in Aalborg, they have come up with a solution that will make the wind turbines of the future completely recyclable, writes DI Buisness.
– The blades are the industry's largest waste product when we look at the entire production of a wind turbine. And we wanted to deal with that when we first sat down in 2016 and discussed how. Now we have a solution where we can take some components, glue them together to make green electricity for 25 years and then take them apart again and use them for something else, says Jonas Pagh Jensen, global sustainability specialist and one of the initiators behind Siemens Gamesa's new blades.
In collaboration with a subcontractor, Siemens Gamesa has developed a special glue, resin, that can be dissolved again and recycled as plastic, unlike the normal resin used, while the fiberglass mats and balsa wood themselves can be recycled in other products.
– The project development has gone quickly in our opinion because we had already qualified and approved our subcontractor. That is why we avoided a process like a regular development project, which typically takes several years, says Harald Stecher, chemist and materials engineer.
First customers on the way
The price of reusable blades is higher than for traditional blades. Nevertheless, the first customers have signed up. Among others, Germany's RWE Renewables is ready to pay the additional price that it requires. The sustainable blades are now also a fixed part of Siemens Gamesa's offering material within offshore wind, where customers have the choice between these or the classic blades. Siemens Games expects that interest in the sustainable blades will soon increase.
- Our new blades have their justification, we can see. There are tender rounds for wind farms right now, where you can score points by having a greener profile. For us, it is therefore about reaching a price level where it is also commercially interesting, says Jonas Pagh Jensen.
RecyclableBlades, as the recyclable blades are called, can currently only be delivered in 81-meter lengths. But soon the factory will also produce the blade in 97-meter lengths, then in 108 meters, and the molds for the next generation in 115 meters are also on their way into the production halls.
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