The German-Spanish energy giant delivered recently the world’s first turbine equipped with Siemens Gamesa’s RecyclableBlades.

The first commercial installation of recyclable wind turbine technology recently took place at RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind power project in Germany.

“We’ve brought the Siemens Gamesa RecyclableBlade technology to market in only 10 months: from launch in September 2021 to installation at RWE’s Kaskasi project in July 2022. This milestone marks a significant contribution to Siemens Gamesa’s target of having fully recyclable turbines by 2040. With RecyclableBlade available for our customers, we can create a virtuous circular economy”, said Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit, in a press release.

Wind turbine blades are made up of a combination of materials embedded in resin to form a strong, stiff structure.

Utilizing Siemens Gamesa’s market-leading RecyclableBlade technology enables full reclaim of the blade’s components at the end of the product’s lifespan.

Separating the resin, fiberglass, and wood, among others, is achieved through using a mild acid solution.

The materials can then go into the circular economy, creating new products like suitcases or flat-screen casings without the need to call on more raw resources.

A number of turbines of RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind farm will be equipped with handcrafted Siemens Gamesa B81 RecyclableBlades, each with a length of 81 meters.

The project is located 35 km north of the island of Heligoland in the German North Sea. It will be comprised of 38 SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines, generating 342 MW of clean, renewable energy for up to 400,000 German households. This is comparable to a city like Frankfurt am Main.

“The first power being generated from the first turbine using RecyclableBlades also underscores the great value creation provided by Siemens Gamesa in several countries. The RecyclableBlade technology was developed in Aalborg, Denmark, the blades were manufactured in Hull, UK, and the nacelles were produced in and installed from Cuxhaven, Germany. RecyclableBlade technology will help reduce raw material extraction by creating the potential for secondary markets for the reclaimed material, with the job creation that this could provide as an additional benefit in local markets,” Becker continues.

In June, Iberdrola, a Spanish energy company, has established a subsidiary which will recycle components used in renewable energy projects, such as old wind turbine blades. It's not the first company to do this, a new trend emerging among companies from the energy sector: recycling the blades used to wind turbines.