The state’s largest utility has stepped up to find ways to recycle old wind turbine blades instead of tossing them into a landfill. PacifiCorp recently started transporting retired wind turbine blades from Wyoming out to Tennessee where researchers there are searching for ways to keep 100 tons of blades out of landfills. Though the blades make up only about 10% of a wind turbine’s total material, they are often made with fiberglass and can’t be recycled or easily repurposed.
That’s why a team of wind energy scientists, engineers, two utilities and a technology firm have come together to find a more sustainable solution. Researchers at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville recently received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to find ways to reuse decommissioned blades on a commercial scale in partnership with the tech company called Carbon Rivers, LLC. PacifiCorp and another utility operating in the Midwest called MidAmerican Energy Company, will provide the decommissioned blades
Together, the group is working to build a recycling facility capable of processing the full-scale commercial wind turbine blades. The hope is to take reclaimed glass fiber from the blades and transform the material into a variety of useful products, such as agriculture products, parts to make vehicles, sports equipment and more.