UK initiative launched to advance technology for sustainable and recyclable wind turbine blades

Published:  12 November, 2020

The National Composites Centre (NCC) has launched an initiative to accelerate the development of technology, processes and materials that address the recyclability and future development of composite wind turbine blades.

Delivered in partnership with the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and supported by The Crown Estate and RenewableUK, SusWIND is helping to drive the future sustainability of wind turbine technology. It brings together leading stakeholders in the composites industry and energy sector to solve the following sustainability challenges:

• RECYCLE: Demonstrating viable technologies for recycling the existing stock of wind turbine blades, many of which are reaching the end of their life, and then using the waste materials to develop secondary applications such as composite parts in electric vehicles, bridges and even in thermal insulation.

• SUSTAIN: Driving the use of more sustainable materials, such as bio-derived feedstock or thermoplastics in developing composites for turbine blades, rather than from unsustainable sources or with limited potential for economic recyclability.

• DESIGN: Developing innovative new approaches based on design for disassembly, utilising sustainable materials and with end-of-life strategies in mind, therefore future-proofing the next generation of wind turbine blades.

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