Blades of wind farm Irene Vorrink will be recycled and turned into sports equipment, insulation materials or components for solar farms, Vattenfall has said.
The Dutch wind farm Irene Vorrink is the first wind farm to be decommissioned after Vattenfall set new and ambitious targets to recycle all blade waste by 2030.
Vattenfall has partnered with several projects to find circular solutions for the complex to recycle turbine blades.
Vattenfall head of environment and sustainability business area wind Eva Philipp said: “As the wind industry continues to grow to provide fossil-free energy across the globe, Vattenfall is committed to supporting a circular economy which reduces environmental impacts throughout the product lifecycle.”
Wind turbines already have a recyclability rate of 90%, Vattenfall added.
Most components of a wind turbine – the foundation, tower, components of the gear box and generator – are recyclable and are treated as such.
But turbine blades represent a specific challenge, because of the composite materials they are made up of.
Currently, there are no large-scale sustainable solutions to address these challenges. That is why Vattenfall engages in research and testing of more advanced recycling technologies, the Swedish developer said.
To recycle the blades of Irene Vorrink, two partners have been contracted who will process the blades and explore options for recycling: Norwegian Gjenkraft and the LIFE CarbonGreen consortium of partners.
Educational institute ROCvA will receive two blades to use as training tool for future wind turbine mechanics.
In the coming weeks, the blades of Irene Vorrink will be decommissioned and brought to the port of Kampen, where they will be cut into pieces suitable for further transport and the intended recycling technology.
Norwegian Gjenkraft AS will use the blades to produce recycled fibres, synthetic oils and gas, which will be used to produce among others sports equipment like skis and snowboards or insulation materials.
LIFE CarbonGreen is a research project that is looking into new ways to process the blades producing among other components for solar farms.
These plans are part of Vattenfalls ambition to phase out blade waste.
By 2025, 50% of the blades should be recycled, by 2030 Vattenfall aims for a 100% recycling rate, and landfill is banned already from now on.