Circular economy and wind turbines: what happens once their useful life is over?

Wind turbines are fundamental for the production of clean energy, leading the wind energy sector year after year in generation from renewable sources. Although the benefits of these infrastructures are unquestionable, it is important to consider another aspect: all the components that make up the wind turbine have an expiration date (the useful life of a wind turbine ranges between 20 and 25 years).

This implies the need for an effective and comprehensive solution for the recovery of 100% of the elements that make up a wind turbine, based on circular economy criteria, aimed at maximum retention of the value contained in products and materials and with a complete global scope, starting with the different parts of the wind turbine in the wind farm once dismantled and ending when the recycled materials are reused as raw materials in different industrial sectors.

Of course, landfill disposal should not be considered in any case as a management alternative, since all the materials presents are potentially recoverable, although recycling plants with the appropriate technology are required. This is particularly important in the case of wind turbine blades.

In this regard, in 2021, the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE) estimated that in Spain there were around 290,500 tons of blades in operation, many of which were close to reaching the end of their useful life. In 2023, Spain alone accounted for more than 1,370 wind farms, of which 36,600 tons of blades were estimated to be more than 20 years old and 4,500 tons more than 25 years old. By 2030, these figures are expected to increase significantly, with some 173,000 tons of blades exceeding 20 years of age. 

Recovering wind turbines

One of the strategies to improve energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact is repowering, through which existing infrastructure is upgraded by installing more modern wind turbines, in smaller numbers, and which produce more energy. However, this entails the need to manage or recycle components that have become obsolete.

Although this could be a problem in the future, if repowering is concentrated in a short space of time, it can also be seen as an opportunity for the industry. Wind turbine blades are mostly made of composites such as fiberglass and resins, but depending on the type of blade, carbon fiber can also be found.

ENERGYLOOP has developed a comprehensive management proposal for the wind industry, starting after dismantling, through different on-site works in the wind farm itself until the use of recycled raw materials in different industrial sectors.

It is a model based on innovation, adaptive, with the generation of highly specialized green jobs, which contributes to mitigate the carbon footprint of the wind industry, and above all, it is focused on value creation.

ENERGYLOOP’s recycling plant is located in the Industrial Park of Cortes (Navarra) and is already authorized for the reception and storage of blades and other composite waste. Although it has already begun to receive blades from the repowering of two wind farms in Albacete and other operators in the sector, it is expected to be 100% operational shortly.

The new life of the blades

Wind turbine blades can be transformed into the basis for many types of new products, since ENERGYLOOP creates value by obtaining recycled materials for application in different sectors such as energy, aerospace, automobiles, textiles, construction, furniture and chemicals.

For example, old shovels can be used as raw material to manufacture cement or to build load-bearing beams for structures. They can also be used for more tangible products for the end consumer, such as urban or office furniture and even playgrounds with these remains.

Other possible uses include the creation of acoustic barriers, water reservoirs, telecommunication towers, wave attenuators, bleachers, road surfaces or even roofs for warehouses and houses, as stated in a study by the AEE.