EDP Renewables (EDPR) has signed a cooperation agreement with Thermal Recycling of Composites (TRC) to undertake a new wind turbine blade recycling programme.
To be implemented on pilot basis, the initiative will look to recycle faulty or damaged turbine blades, including parts from EDPR's windfarms that have reached the end of their lifecycle.
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As the sector is relatively new, wind energy waste has not yet reached significant volumes. However, EDPR suggests waste management is posing an increasing concern, and it seeks to create a new, sustainable system.
The collaboration has also launched new recycling technology R3FIBER, which has been developed by TRC and a team led by Félix López Gomez at CSIC’s National Centre for Metallurgical Research.
R3FIBER is developed to recycle fibre-infused plastics through a thermochemical transformation process. It converts resins of combustible gases and liquid fuels into glass or carbon fibres that can then be reused.
The technology is applicable to components made from both fibreglass and carbon fibre, such as wind turbines. It is designed to completely harness mass, energy, and the reuse of materials.
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By GlobalDataTRC is a spinoff of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
Image: Deal signing between EDPR and TRC representatives. Photo: courtesy of EDP Renováveis/EDP Group.
