Siemens Gamesa has created RecyclableBlade, the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blades ready for commercial use offshore.
The first six 81-meter long RecyclableBlades have been produced at the Siemens Gamesa blade factory in Aalborg, Denmark. Separation of the materials in the blade is possible at the end of its lifetime, enabling recycling into new applications and thereby defines the next milestone in sustainability.
Andreas Nauen, CEO of Siemens Gamesa, said:
“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.”
Many components of a wind turbine, such as the tower and nacelle components have established recycling practices. Until now, the composite materials used in wind turbine blades have been more challenging to recycle. Built on proven, reliable processes, the Siemens Gamesa RecyclableBlade breaks this mould and is the first of its kind, enabling recycling at the end of its lifecycle, and sets the path to a future where the full recyclability of projects will be a market requirement.
Siemens Gamesa is committed with RWE to install and monitor the world’s first wind turbines with recyclable blades in Germany at the Kaskasi offshore wind power plant. Current plans are for the project to be producing energy from 2022 onwards.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Wind Offshore, RWE Renewables: “We are pleased that our offshore wind farm Kaskasi is able to provide a fantastic facility for testing innovations; here we are preparing to test special steel collars and to use an improved installation method for foundations. Now, Kaskasi installs the world’s first recyclable wind turbine blade manufactured by Siemens Gamesa. This is a significant step in advancing the sustainability of wind turbines to the next level.”
Siemens Gamesa is working with EDF Renewables with the aim to deploy several sets of RecyclableBlade at a future offshore wind farm.
