Have you ever wondered how green wind energy really is, especially when you see those vast piles of wind turbine blades dumped in landfills? Social media posts with photos of wind turbine blades in landfill have raised this question, casting doubts on the sustainability of wind power. Is it actually horrible for the environment?
The video below examines why recycling wind turbine blades is such a challenge, focusing on the materials and manufacturing methods involved. Then, then it scrutinizes the current recycling methods and discusses what needs to change for blades to be effectively recycled. It also evaluates the efforts of wind turbine manufacturers and composite material suppliers towards this goal. The video was made in Jan 2024.
Engineering with Rosie
I found this video after I read an article on leading edge erosion and pollution
from wind turbine blades by Asbjørn Solberg, Bård-Einar Rimereit and
Jan Erik Weinbach. The article suggested that the microparticles eroded from turbine blades might pollute the environment with Bisphenol A. https://docs.wind-watch.org/Leading-Edge-erosion-and-pollution-from-wind-turbine-blades_5_july_English.pdf
My original training was in Chemistry but lacked the chemistry of plastics manufacture. As Rosie’s video explains, epoxy resins are thermoplastics which do not break down to their original starting materials. Epoxy resins are made from Bisphenol A but once they set, the Bisphenol A no longer exists. The process can’t reverse.
Wind turbines are an important part of our energy systems but their siting needs careful planning. In Australia they should not be placed in areas of high biodiversity.
My Blog has become My Nuclear Journey 