TY - CHAP

T1 - Review existing strategies to improve circularity, sustainability and resilience of wind turbine blades - A comparison of research and industrial initiatives in Europe

AU - Kramer, Kathrin

AU - Beauson, Justine

N1 - Conference code: 43

PY - 2023/11/1

Y1 - 2023/11/1

N2 - To become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the EU is committing to ambitious targets such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990) and increasing the share of renewable energies in the EU energy mix to 45% by 2030. To meet these targets, the wind industry has to grow significantly while ensuring enough resources across the supply chains to scale the wind energy market and by striving to reduce its already shallow environmental impact. As material extraction and the production of wind turbines cause the most emissions, costs and risks on the scarcity of resources, the implementation of a circular economy could support the wind industry in meeting the EU target and improving its sustainability and resilience. However, the circular economy is a complex concept, and it can be challenging to translate it into precise action points, objectives and measurements. To clarify how a circular economy can support the wind industry, this paper takes the example of wind turbine blades, and it establishes a structured overview of research results and industrial initiatives aiming at implementing circularity for improving sustainability and resilience. The overview is used to investigate if objectives and clear actions are stated and how those differ between research and industry. By identifying gaps, future research and industry initiatives can be directed towards closing the bigger picture. The results show that many initiatives are ongoing, but only some circular strategies are comprehensively investigated, and clear objectives and measurements often remain to be included. The industry and research progressed the furthest on recycling. Future research and industry activities should further follow the path of closing the loop but need to also concentrate on reducing material use, extending the lifetime of blades and enabling a second lifecycle of blades.

AB - To become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the EU is committing to ambitious targets such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990) and increasing the share of renewable energies in the EU energy mix to 45% by 2030. To meet these targets, the wind industry has to grow significantly while ensuring enough resources across the supply chains to scale the wind energy market and by striving to reduce its already shallow environmental impact. As material extraction and the production of wind turbines cause the most emissions, costs and risks on the scarcity of resources, the implementation of a circular economy could support the wind industry in meeting the EU target and improving its sustainability and resilience. However, the circular economy is a complex concept, and it can be challenging to translate it into precise action points, objectives and measurements. To clarify how a circular economy can support the wind industry, this paper takes the example of wind turbine blades, and it establishes a structured overview of research results and industrial initiatives aiming at implementing circularity for improving sustainability and resilience. The overview is used to investigate if objectives and clear actions are stated and how those differ between research and industry. By identifying gaps, future research and industry initiatives can be directed towards closing the bigger picture. The results show that many initiatives are ongoing, but only some circular strategies are comprehensively investigated, and clear objectives and measurements often remain to be included. The industry and research progressed the furthest on recycling. Future research and industry activities should further follow the path of closing the loop but need to also concentrate on reducing material use, extending the lifetime of blades and enabling a second lifecycle of blades.

KW - Engineering

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/cb4d6140-1cba-3f3c-b4b2-a4f98f8f7440/

U2 - 10.1088/1757-899X/1293/1/012039

DO - 10.1088/1757-899X/1293/1/012039

M3 - Article in conference proceedings

VL - 1293

T3 - IOP conference series / Materials science and engineering

BT - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering

A2 - , Institute of Physics

PB - IOP Publishing Ltd

CY - Bristol

T2 - 43rd Risø International Symposium on Materials Science.

Y2 - 4 September 2023 through 7 September 2023

ER -