07.08.2024
Wind Turbine Blades: The Battle To Overcome Their Waste Problem
With 800,000 tons of turbine blades disposed of in landfill annually, the wind industry has an environmental problem to solve. Made from fibreglass-reinforced polymer (FRP) and coated with epoxy resins, turbine blades are designed to maximise aerodynamicism whilst remaining light enough to minimise structural stress and stiff enough to achieve efficient wind capture. However, the materials are problematic. Having been designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, epoxy resin is durable and therefore difficult to breakdown. The tough coating makes it near-impossible to separate the materials comprising a blade. Separating the fibres from the polymer using high temperatures results in the degradation of the plastic parts and damage to the glass fibres. Designed to be highly durable and hard, this material is very difficult to cut or grind. Over 317,000 onshore wind turbines are active globally, and there are another 12,000 active offshore, according to GlobalData figures. Since the first windfarm was erected in the US state of New Hampshire in 1980, over 12,600 turbines have been decommissioned. However, that number is set to grow rapidly as many near the end of their 20–30-year lifespan. The EU’s Waste Framework Directive specifies that landfill is the “least preferred waste management option” and calls for prevention and preparation for re-use, recycling and recovery. With an estimated 800,000 tonnes of turbine blades entering landfill annually, though, there is a serious sustainability challenge to overcome. Despite the current lull, that’s a huge number of blades. And the figures will only increase in subsequent years as the current generation are much longer and heavier than the last, which only adds to the waste problem. Credit: Bloomberg
Poverty deprives people of adequate education, health care and of life's most basic necessities- safe living conditions (including clean air and clean drinking water) and an adequate food supply. The developed (industrialized) countries today account for roughly 20 percent of the world's population but control about 80 percent of the world's wealth.
Poverty and pollution seem to operate in a vicious cycle that, so far, has been hard to break. Even in the developed nations, the gap between the rich and the poor is evident in their respective social and environmental conditions.
Poverty and pollution seem to operate in a vicious cycle that, so far, has been hard to break. Even in the developed nations, the gap between the rich and the poor is evident in their respective social and environmental conditions.
