Vattenfall is going to recycle the blades of the Irene Vorrink wind farm turbines for sports goods, building materials and parts for solar parks. Vattenfall’s goal is to be able to fully reuse blades by 2030.
Irene Vorrink, one of the oldest onshore wind farms in the Netherlands, is Vattenfall’s first wind farm to be dismantled in the Netherlands since the energy company announced its ambition in October 2021 to fully recycle rotorblades after 2030. Vattenfall has entered into various partnerships for the circular solutions for the blades.
Recycling
Most parts of a wind turbine can be recycled. These include the foundation, the tower, parts of the gearbox and the generator. Together, these make up more than 90% of the total. The blades remain difficult because composites (plastics reinforced with fibres), from which the blades are made, are fused together.
Vattenfall is engaged in research and initiatives that encourage further technological innovation and the testing of advanced recycling technologies. The energy company intends to eliminate blade waste in stages. By 2025, the company wants 50% of the blades to be reused and by 2030, all blades should be fully recycled. In addition, Vattenfall will not bury old blades in landfills.
Irene Vorrink Wind Farm
F&B Windpower is currently busy dismantling the 600 kW Nordtank wind turbines located in the IJsselmeer, just off the dyke in the northern part of the province of Flevoland. In the coming weeks, the blades of the Irene Vorrink wind farm will be removed from the turbines and transported to the port of Kampen. There they will be sawn into smaller pieces and prepared for transport.
Vattenfall has made several agreements for the recycling of the blades from the Irene Vorrink wind farm. The Norwegian company Gjenkraft AS will recycle the blades for insulation materials, synthetic oil and gas production and sports products. LIFE CarbonGreen is a project that investigates the possibilities of further processing. Two sheets are reserved for the ROC Amsterdam-Flevoland, which will be used to train mechanics. Source: Vattenfall
