Recycling Wind Turbine Blades Problematic

Efforts across the globe to combat climate change have resulted in a push for renewable energy sources, but when it comes to wind energy there is one nagging problem – recycling wind turbine blades is currently not possible.  The result is a counterproductive build-up of these fiberglass blades at landfills all around the world, and unfortunately, there is no line of sight to a viable solution. 

The Challenge of Recycling Wind Turbine Blades

First and foremost, these things are absolutely huge – many of them are longer than a football field.   Because of their massive size, they can’t be easily transported.  Rather, they need to be meticulously sawed into multiple pieces in order to fit onto a tractor-trailer, a process that is anything but ‘cheap and easy’ because they are manufactured to withstand hurricane winds and other environmental nastiness. 

Second, you have the problem of the sheer number of them.  An incredible 8,000 blades are expected to be decommissioned and removed annually here in the U.S., a number that is expected to increase going forward.

Although scientists are working on developing ways to separate resins from the fibers to promote recyclability, the solution remains elusive.  Other experimental tactics include burning the blades in kilns, grinding them into a fine dust, and breaking them down into pellets that can be incorporated into building materials, but so far, none of these solutions are economically viable and they all introduce negative environmental impacts. 

With all of this being said, the difficulty recycling wind turbine blades is probably not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.  According to the EPRI, wind turbines will equate to less than a quarter of a percent of all municipal solid waste through 2050.  But it’s an interesting environmental conundrum nonetheless – ironic that wind power has received a boost from environmental concerns, but yet the blades are gradually piling up in landfills which is not exactly environmentally friendly. 

So, what does the difficulty recycling wind turbines mean from a utility emergency preparedness perspective?  Not much.  But it’s certainly an interesting ying to global warming’s yang!