Siemens Gamesa launches recyclable wind turbine blade

Photo Credit: Siemens Gamesa

Same manufacturing process except for new resin which can be separated from the glass fiber — enabling recovery of resin and fiber — after immersion in a heated mild acidic solution (solvolysis).
First six 81-meter-long RecyclableBlades already produced at Siemens Gamesa’s blade manufacturing plant in Aalborg, Denmark.
Siemens Gamesa has agreements with three of its major customers: with RWE to install and pilot RecyclableBlade at the Kaskasi offshore wind power plant in Germany; with EDF Renewables to deploy several sets of RecyclableBlade at a future offshore project; and with wpd to install sets of the RecyclableBlade at one of their future offshore wind power plants.

On Sept. 7, Siemens Gamesa (Zamudio, Spain) announced the launch of RecyclableBlade, which it says is the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blade ready for commercial use offshore.

According to the company, the blades are manufactured from multiple reinforcement materials — in the same IntegralBlade manufacturing process as Siemens Gamesa’s other blades — combined with a new resin that has been designed to dissolve in a reportedly mild, efficient recycling process at the end of the blade’s service life. The company says this process and resin protects the properties of the blade reinforcement materials, and allow them to be reused or recycled into new applications after separation from the resin.

The first six 81-meter-long RecyclableBlades have been produced at the Siemens Gamesa blade factory in Aalborg, Denmark. Partnering with RWE Renewables (Essen Germany), the company plans to install and monitor recyclable blades in Germany at the Kaskasi offshore wind power plant. Current plans are for the project to begin producing energy in 2022. Siemens Gamesa is also working with EDF Renewables (San Diego, Calif., U.S.) and wpd offshore (Bremen, Germany) on deployment of the blades at future offshore wind farms.

Siemens Gamesa says its offshore customers can also now choose the RecyclableBlade as an option for future projects.

“The time to tackle climate emergency is now, and we need to do it in a holistic way. In pioneering wind circularity — where elements contribute to a circular economy of the wind industry — we have reached a major milestone in a society that puts care for the environment at its heart. The RecyclableBlade is another tangible example of how Siemens Gamesa is leading technological development in the wind industry,” says Andreas Nauen, CEO of Siemens Gamesa.

Siemens Gamesa infograph. Photo Credit: Siemens Gamesa

This work is part of the company’s Sustainability Vision, which was announced in July and targets fully recyclable turbines by 2040.

Gregorio Acero, head of quality management and health, safety, and environment at Siemens Gamesa, adds, “Our aspiration is to produce wind turbines that can generate renewable electricity for 20-30 years. When they reach the end of their useful life, we can separate the materials and use them for new, relevant applications. The RecyclableBlade is a great step in that direction and well ahead of our 2040 goal.”