The National Composites Centre (NCC) has today launched an initiative to accelerate the development of technology, processes and materials that address the renewability and development of wind turbine blades.
Wind turbine
Delivered in partnership with The Crown and RenewablesUK, the 'susWIND' project hopes to drive future sustainability in making every aspect of wind power generation environmentally-friendly.
Wind currently one of the fastest-growing energy sectors worldwide, and its current estimated global output is expected to reach approximately 5000GW for onshore and 1400GW offshore by 2050.
The UK currently has the largest fleet of offshore wind power in the world, with a total capacity of around 14GW.
Turbine technology has also been advancing rapidly over the last 40 years, but many are not fully suited to a carbon-neutral world.
Many of the roughly 341,000 turbines across the globe use epoxy resin or carbon-fibre for their blades and it has become a major innovation centre for companies who are looking to phase this out.
Today, over 2.5 million tonnes of composite materials are used in the global wind sector and the use of these materials has made the blades lighter, stronger and longer-lasting than ever before.
On a global level, more than 14,000 wind turbines are facing the end of their lives, with their blades facing landfils or incineration equating to roughly 50,000 tonnes of industrial waste unable to be recycled and reused for other applications.
Richard Oldfield, Chief Executive of the NCC, said: “Composites are a key enabler for the success of wind energy and the role that it plays in delivering a low carbon global economy. But it is apparent to engineers, economists and environmentalists alike that we need to find a more sustainable way forward.
"We must commit to transforming the current linear blade product lifecycle into an increasing circular process that forms part of a larger future market for low carbon, recycled composites materials.
"Investing now in the future of blade sustainability will help unlock the use of recycled composites for the next generation of sustainable transportation and infrastructure. We’re excited to work with key partners and the wind industry through this ambitious programme to deliver a more sustainable future.”
Dr Stephen Wyatt, Research and Innovation Director at ORE Catapult, said: “As we strive to achieve net zero, offshore wind capacity globally is set to grow rapidly to meet our low carbon energy needs. It’s therefore vital that we work to minimise the direct impact on our environment and look for new and innovative ways to recycle the existing fleet of wind turbines and their blades.
"We must also work at the same time to future-proof technology for the next generation through the use of composites or more environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. We are pleased to be working on SusWIND to solve this major industry technology challenge.”
The project is to be delivered in three waves to address the sustainability issues in the wind sector.
The first is set to stimulate and reform the supply chains for wind turbines and how it leverages composites recycling demand in other sectors whereas the second will demonstrate operations to reduce the sector's overall carbon footprint.
The third and final wave will involve end-of-life measures for turbine use to ensure as little material as possible is put to waste and is reused for other applications.
Ambitious leasing rounds are planned by The Crown which, together with the UK government, has driven the UK's offshore wind sector from being a minor part of the British energy grid to supplying 10% of the country's energy by the end of 2020.
This boost will allow the government to meet the climate goals set as a part of the country's post-pandemic recovery as laid out by Boris Johnson last month, including having the UK's massive offshore wind sector supplying all UK homes by 2030.
The outcomes of SusWIND are designed to support the global challenge for both onshore and offshore wind, reflecting the global footprint of many of the leading organisations in the industry.
SusWIND - Accelerating sustainable composites materials and technology for wind turbine blades
A video outlining the SusWIND project.
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