Vattenfall is now incorporating nacelle canopies and nose cones into its recycling strategy, enforcing an immediate ban on landfilling these materials.
In 2021 Vattenfall committed to an immediate landfill ban and set a goal to recycle 50% of all wind turbine blades from its owned farms by 2025, with a target of 100% by 2030.
The expanded target is already being integrated into existing wind farm decommissioning contracts, Vattenfall said.
Eva Julius-Philipp, director of environment & sustainability at Vattenfall BA Wind, said: “Expanding our recycling target is a crucial step towards achieving a circular business by 2030.
“Our aim is to ensure that all decommissioned turbine composite materials are processed through circular methods – such as reuse, refurbishment repurposing, and recycling.
“This will prevent composite waste from ending up in landfills and instead make it available for second-life applications. By addressing this now, we avoid the risk of these materials being lost for the circular economy.”
Collaborations with various partners are already underway to refurbish, repurpose, or recycle turbine components.
Notable projects include a concept study with Lloyd’s Arkitektkontor in Denmark to repurpose turbine blades for use in parking structures, and a Dutch initiative to convert a nacelle into a tiny house, set to be showcased during Dutch Design Week in October.
Additionally, at the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm, three sets of recyclable blades from Siemens Gamesa are being tested, designed to simplify recycling with low carbon emissions at the end of their life cycle.
Helle Herk-Hansen, vice president environment, added: “To develop effective large-scale commercial solutions for recycling composite materials, extensive research is essential.
“We aim to signal to our partners our commitment to pursuing innovative collaborations.
“Given that wind industry composite materials represent only about 10% of the total, it’s crucial that other sectors also adopt ambitious recycling goals to prevent landfill disposal.”
Earlier this month, the commitment to achieving 100 per cent circular outflow of permanent magnets from decommissioned wind farms by 2030 was also announced by Vattenfall.