The wind is great for producing electricity without generating greenhouse gas emissions.
But theres a dirty secret what happens to turbines at the end of their life?
And the problem is only getting worse.
And as more countriestransition from gastowind energy, the problem will only intensify.
For example, the German government aims to build between1,000 and 1,500new wind turbines annually.
The lifecycle of a wind turbine is around 20-25 years.
And it isestimatedthat by 2023, around 14,000 wind turbine blades will need to be unassembled in Europe.
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Why is it so hard to recycle or repurpose wind turbines?
About 85% of a wind turbine is already recyclable.
The problem is the material in the blades.
They are made fromglass fiber/epoxy matrix compositesto withstand all weather.
Both materials are hard to break down.
This results in a 27% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Laminates
In Poland, recycling firmAnmetdismantles wind turbines.
It develops technology to recover carbon fiber from the blades for use in producing laminates and other raw materials.
PR problems traditionally plague wind turbines
Wind energy hasnt had the smoothest ride with the public.
One example is thenoisethey produce when placed in residential areas.
They also kill birds.
Wind farms in Germany, on average, dispense ofmore than 100,000 avians a year.
So it could be worse).
Some turbines still run on Windows 2000 yes, you read that correctly.
And, security updates in Windows 2000 ended in 2010.
Current efforts to bring life to discarded wind turbines exist.
But they dont really represent a definitive commitment tocircular designandcritical end-of-life planning.
So the industry must take responsibility for this one theyve had long enough to develop a solution!
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
