An innovative recycling project is repurposing decommissioned wind turbine blades to prevent them being sent to landfill.
EDF power solutions UK said it is collaborating with Dalmore Capital, Foresight, Reblade and Scottish Enterprise to improve management of end-of-life blades.
The company added that blades are challenging to handle once decommissioned due to the materials used in their manufacture.
In a previous initiative, EDF power solutions UK donated blades to Reblade, which were reused as shelters for an EV charging station in Dundee.
As part of the new project, blades are shredded and mixed with similar waste materials to create planks for uses ranging from agricultural fence posts to benches and decking.
Further tests are underway to explore different industrial applications.
The process aims to progress research and development into ways to repurpose and recycle decommissioned blades.
Environmental manager Michelle Campbell-Robson at EDF power solutions UK said: “We are proud to be an integral part of this project alongside our investors Dalmore and Foresight Capital; finding innovative solutions to an industry-wide challenge.”
Campbell-Robson added: “We are leading the transition to a circular economy by transforming decommissioned wind turbine blades into repurposed structures and valuable composite products.”
Reblade co-founder and managing director Fiona Lindsey said: “This collaboration is a powerful demonstration that the wind energy industry can, and must, achieve true circularity.”
Lindsey added: “By transforming decommissioned turbine blades into essential assets like community paths and agricultural fencing, we are not just avoiding landfill, we are locking carbon into durable, high-value products that directly benefit the local area.”
Image: Michelle Campbell-Robson, Environmental Manager at EDF power solutions UK (left), with Fiona Lindsey, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Reblade with the recycled blades.