Sustainability: China proposes first standards for recycling wind turbines to manage imminent surge of retired equipment
- Proposed standards prioritise reuse and recycling of wind blades while banning landfilling and burning
- By 2030, 35 million tonnes of waste from decommissioned wind and solar equipment will need to be recycled, recycling association says
China has issued its first set of proposed standards for recycling retired onshore wind turbines, laying the foundation for tackling supply chain sustainability challenges arising from renewable energy generation.
The proposal emphasises recycling of the composite materials that give wind blades the strength to withstand the environmental conditions they are exposed to in service. Methods using heat, chemicals and physical pressure to break down the blades can be used, based on consideration of technical, economic, energy intensity, safety and environmental-impact issues.
“Advanced equipment and technology should be deployed during the wind blade recycling processes, so as to raise the overall resource utilisation rate,” the circular said.
For other components such as blade hubs, towers and nacelles, recycling should involve physically blasting and cutting them into small pieces and using magnetic sorting to extract recoverable metals.