World premiere: Siemens Gamesa launches and markets the world's first fully recyclable wind turbine blade
- An important milestone for the global wind industry: Siemens Gamesa launches the RecyclableBlade, the world's first wind turbine blade that can be recycled at the end of its life cycle.
- This advancement is a crucial step towards Siemens Gamesa's ambitious goal of making its turbines fully recyclable by 2040.
- The first six RecyclableBlades have already been produced at Siemens Gamesa's blade manufacturing plant in Aalborg, Denmark.
- Siemens Gamesa has already concluded agreements with 3 of its main customers: Siemens Gamesa is working closely with RWE to install and maintain the innovative recyclable blades for the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany; with EDF Renewables with the aim of deploying several sets of RecyclableBlade blades in a future offshore wind project; with wpd with the intention of installing sets of the RecyclableBlade in one of their future offshore wind farms.
Wind energy is one of the cornerstones of the fight against the climate emergency. With the World Wind Energy Council forecasting the installation of more than 200 GW of new offshore capacity by 2030, it is essential to quickly introduce recyclable solutions. Siemens Gamesa is paving the way for a sustainable future with the RecyclableBlade, the world's first recyclable wind turbine blades ready for commercial use at sea. With this technology, the separation of materials contained in the blade is possible at the end of its life. service life, which allows recycling into new applications and thus defines the next step in sustainability.
The first six 81 meter long recyclable blades were produced at Siemens Gamesa's blade factory in Aalborg, Denmark.
“The time to tackle the climate emergency is now, and we must do it holistically. By being pioneers in the circular economy – we have taken an important step in a society that places concern for the environment at the heart of its concerns. The RecyclableBlade is another tangible example of how Siemens Gamesa is leading technology development in the wind industry”, says Andreas Nauen, CEO of Siemens Gamesa.
Many components of a wind turbine, such as the tower and nacelle components, have established recycling practices. Until now, composite materials used in wind turbine blades were more difficult to recycle. Built using reliable and proven processes, Siemens Gamesa's recyclable blade is the first of its kind, enabling recycling at the end of its life cycle, and paves the way for a future where full recyclability of projects will be a requirement of the market.
First deployments
Siemens Gamesa has contracted with RWE to install and maintain the world's first wind turbines with recyclable blades for the Kaskasi offshore wind farm, Germany. According to current plans, the project is expected to produce electricity from 2022.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of the Offshore division of RWE Renewables: “We are pleased that our Kaskasi offshore wind farm is able to provide an ideal environment for innovation; At this park, we are preparing to test special collars and use an improved installation method for the foundations. Now, Kaskasi is set to become the first project in Germany to deploy Siemens Gamesa's recyclable wind turbine blades. This is an important step in taking wind turbine sustainability to the next level”.
Siemens Gamesa is also working with EDF Renewables with the aim of deploying several sets of RecyclableBlade blades on a future offshore project.
Bruno Bensasson, Executive Director of the EDF group in charge of the renewable energy division and Chairman and CEO of EDF Renewables, declared: “We are very pleased to collaborate with industry players, such as Siemens Gamesa, to help advance recycling solutions in the wind energy sector. The EDF Renewables team is fully mobilized to develop this pioneering technology with its suppliers with the aim of continually improving the environmental sustainability of our projects. This agreement is part of the EDF group's purpose: reconciling the production of low-carbon electricity that is beneficial for the climate and the reduction of local environmental impacts. ».
Siemens Gamesa is working with wpd with the intention of installing sets of the RecyclableBlade for one of their future offshore wind farms.
Achim Berge Olsen, Managing Director of wpd offshore and Managing Director of the wpd group, added: “For 20 years, wpd has actively contributed to the sustainable development of the offshore wind industry. Our participation in the Siemens Gamesa recycling program takes us to the next level and represents a key milestone for the industry. We are very pleased to contribute to the advent of the sustainable supply chain of tomorrow.”
Technological development
Siemens Gamesa wind turbine blades are made from a combination of materials cast together with resin to form a lightweight, strong and flexible structure. The chemical structure of this new type of resin allows the resin to be effectively separated from other components at the end of the blade's life. This gentle process protects the material properties of the blade, unlike other existing methods of recycling conventional wind turbine blades. The materials can then be reused in new applications after their separation.
Siemens Gamesa offshore wind customers will now have the unique opportunity to choose the recyclable blade as an option for their future projects.
A fully recyclable wind turbine by 2040
Siemens Gamesa recently launched an ambitious 2040 sustainability vision, pushing the boundaries of sustainability to create a better future for future generations. In this context, the company announced an ambitious objective: to make turbines fully recyclable by 2040, and blades fully recyclable by 2030.
“Our aspiration is to produce wind turbines that can generate renewable electricity for 20 to 30 years. When they reach the end of their useful life, we can separate the materials and use them for new applications. The RecyclableBlade is a big step in this direction and well ahead of our 2030 goal”, said Gregorio Acero, Head of Quality Management and Health, Safety and Environment at Siemens Gamesa.
Press contact
Cedric Turnaco
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cedric.turnaco@siemensgamesa.com
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