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Is the fibre glass thing actually a disaster? According to this Bloomberg article https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-05/wind-turbine-blades-can-t-b

by jurip 5y ago

Is the fibre glass thing actually a disaster? According to this Bloomberg article https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-05/wind-turbine-blades-can-t-be-recycled-so-they-re-piling-up-in-landfills https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-05/wind-turb... it sounds more like something that would be nice to reduce but is pretty far from a disaster: “Wind turbine blades at the end of their operational life are landfill-safe, unlike the waste from some other energy sources, and represent a small fraction of overall U.S. municipal solid waste,” according to an emailed statement from the group. It pointed to an Electric Power Research Institute study that estimates all blade waste through 2050 would equal roughly .015% of all the municipal solid waste going to landfills in 2015 alone.

pfdietz 5y ago
The idea that wind turbine blades need to be recycled is more of a fetish than a requirement.
Malic 5y ago
It does appear there is a solution for this on the way. https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/wind-turbine-maker-vestas-unveils-new-blade-recycling-technology/article https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/wind-turbine-mak... TL;DR: It appears Vestas is partnering up with another company to bring to market a process to break down the epoxy resins that bind the fiberglass in the blades. The resulting base chemicals are useful for the production of further resins and new windmill blades. This process could be useful in other industries.
toss1 5y ago
Yes, this is considered a problem, but not a disaster. As wind blades multiply and start to age out, this is already being worked on very strongly in the composites industry, and there are major breakthroughs[e.g., 1,2]. This should not be a disaster in the future [1] https://electrek.co/2021/04/26/a-scottish-university-finds-new-life-for-old-wind-turbine-blades/ https://electrek.co/2021/04/26/a-scottish-university-finds-n... [2] https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1716110/vestas-develops-gamechanger-wind-blade-recycling-method https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1716110/vestas-deve...
ArcFeind 5y ago
Can turbine blades be used as sunken fake reefs? They're big and hollow, could be a good place to nuture nature?

by jurip 5y ago

pfdietz 5y ago

The idea that wind turbine blades need to be recycled is more of a fetish than a requirement.

Malic 5y ago

It does appear there is a solution for this on the way. https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/wind-turbine-maker-vestas-unveils-new-blade-recycling-technology/article https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/wind-turbine-mak... TL;DR: It appears Vestas is partnering up with another company to bring to market a process to break down the epoxy resins that bind the fiberglass in the blades. The resulting base chemicals are useful for the production of further resins and new windmill blades. This process could be useful in other industries.

toss1 5y ago

Yes, this is considered a problem, but not a disaster. As wind blades multiply and start to age out, this is already being worked on very strongly in the composites industry, and there are major breakthroughs[e.g., 1,2]. This should not be a disaster in the future [1] https://electrek.co/2021/04/26/a-scottish-university-finds-new-life-for-old-wind-turbine-blades/ https://electrek.co/2021/04/26/a-scottish-university-finds-n... [2] https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1716110/vestas-develops-gamechanger-wind-blade-recycling-method https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1716110/vestas-deve...

ArcFeind 5y ago

Can turbine blades be used as sunken fake reefs? They're big and hollow, could be a good place to nuture nature?