Wind turbine blade material in the United States: Quantities, costs, and end-of-life options

Cooperman, Aubryn; Eberle, Annika; Lantz, Eric

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105439

Cited by 117 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In Equation ( 1), the scale parameter λ is equal to 10 years, the shape parameter c is equal to 2.2, and the location parameter l min is equal to 10 years (Cooperman et al, 2021). Wind turbine blades enter EOL processing at a time determined by the beginning of their use phase, which is defined in the capacity expansion input data, and by the Weibull-distributed lifetime values.…”

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…EOL processing for wind turbine blades begins with rotor teardown, the costs for which are estimated following (Eberle et al, 2019). The cost of removing a single blade is assumed to be one-third the cost of rotor teardown, and this cost is calculated on a per-metric-ton basis using blade mass, which increases over time as blade designs evolve (Cooperman et al, 2021). Following rotor teardown, blades undergo one of two options for size reduction before being transported: blades can be either cut into segments of 30 m or coarsely ground using a mobile version of the same grinding equipment used at the GFRP recycling plant (Cooperman et al, 2021).…”

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cost of removing a single blade is assumed to be one-third the cost of rotor teardown, and this cost is calculated on a per-metric-ton basis using blade mass, which increases over time as blade designs evolve (Cooperman et al, 2021). Following rotor teardown, blades undergo one of two options for size reduction before being transported: blades can be either cut into segments of 30 m or coarsely ground using a mobile version of the same grinding equipment used at the GFRP recycling plant (Cooperman et al, 2021). Segmenting the blades is less expensive ($28/metric ton) but incurs higher transportation costs ($0.30-0.80/metric ton-km, depending on blade segment mass).…”

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Segmenting the blades is less expensive ($28/metric ton) but incurs higher transportation costs ($0.30-0.80/metric ton-km, depending on blade segment mass). Coarse grinding on-site is more expensive ($92-121/metric ton) but lowers the transportation cost significantly ($0.08/metric tonkm; Coughlin et al, 2020;Cooperman et al, 2021). Because we assume turbine foundations are kept in place at EOL rather than being removed and replaced, we do not consider EOL options for turbine foundations.…”

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization Framework: A Case Study of Wind Blade Circularity in Texas

et al. 2021

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Moving the current linear economy toward circularity is expected to have environmental, economic, and social impacts. Various modeling methods, including economic input-output modeling, life cycle assessment, agent-based modeling, and system dynamics, have been used to examine circular supply chains and analyze their impacts. This work describes the newly developed Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization (CELAVI) framework, which is designed to model how the impacts of supply chains might change as circularity increases. We first establish the framework with a discussion of modeling capabilities that are needed to capture circularity transitions; these capabilities are based on the fact that supply chains moving toward circularity are dynamic and therefore not at steady state, may encompass multiple industrial sectors or other interdependent supply chains and occupy a large spatial area. To demonstrate the capabilities of CELAVI, we present a case study on end-of-life wind turbine blades in the U.S. state of Texas. Our findings show that depending on exact process costs and transportation distances, mechanical recycling could lead to 69% or more of end-of-life turbine blade mass being kept in circulation rather than being landfilled, with only a 7.1% increase in global warming potential over the linear supply chain. We discuss next steps for framework development.

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Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figure 4 |mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization Framework: A Case Study of Wind Blade Circularity in Texas

et al. 2021

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“…Murray et al (2021) looks at thermoplastic turbine blades which could provide an easier route to reuse than the standard thermoset blades. Cooperman et al (2021) looks at landfill, incineration, co-processing, mechanical recycling and design for recycling. This paper provides an interesting insight into the high cost of decommissioning blades but is not aimed at other ways of comparing the end of life choices for turbine blades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

End-of-Life Alternatives for Wind Turbine Blades: Sustainability Indices Based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

et al. 2021

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The background to this research is that across the world there will be 200,000 tonnes of wind turbine blade waste to be disposed of each year from 2033. The purpose of the research is to compare the relative sustainability of alternative ways to deal with this waste, these being: landfill, incineration with heat recovery, co-processing in cement kilns, making furniture and bridge fabrication. The method is to use the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to select 11 metrics for sustainability. The use of the SDGs adds to the objectivity of this process overcoming one of the principal weaknesses of Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Quantitative information methods from Life Cycle Assessment, Geographic Information Science, census data and real options analysis of R&D, alongside qualitative information from Delphi studies and Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats analysis are combined in the assessment. Three MCDA methods are used, each calculates economic, social and environmental sustainability indices for the end-of-life alternatives which are then combined into integrated sustainability indices. A novel Delphi stopping condition based on consensus, consistency and convergence is used. The primary result is that bridge fabrication is the most sustainable alternative with furniture making in second place. Co-processing, incineration with heat recovery and landfill are progressively less sustainable alternatives. This result is robust to substantial changes in the selection of experts' opinions, the weights for MCDA and the values of the metrics. These findings offer researchers and policymakers a robust decision making process, applicable to situations where choices are made on sustainability criteria.

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Repurposing and recycling wind turbine blades in the United States

Martini

Xydis

2022

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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Wind energy is increasing in popularity worldwide as a low‐cost, carbon‐free energy technology. As deployment continues to grow, owners will need to conduct planning for end‐of‐life strategies for the components that are large in volume, number, and not readily recyclable in the operational form. Since the first modern, utility‐scale wind turbines were installed in the 1990s, a large number of wind turbines are reaching their end‐of‐life (typically 20–25 years) and each year an increasing number of blades are decommissioned. To stimulate efficient turbine reuse and recycling industry, industry and public funding should be allocated to support: research and testing processing methods, implementing potential applications of the material, and incentivizing successful applications for reuse of the material. Since the blades are the component most exposed to the elements and least easily recycled, this work will focus on their post‐operation applications. This work discusses the current literature on wind turbine blade reuse and recycling, proposing suggestions for applications of the materials and policy support. The work also estimates that by the years 2043–2050, only based on the development zones announced on the East Coast, a cumulative of 2.4 million metric tons (t) of wind blades would be needed to be repurposed and recycled.

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Wind turbine blade material in the United States: Quantities, costs, and end-of-life options

Cited by 117 publications

References 17 publications

The Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization Framework: A Case Study of Wind Blade Circularity in Texas

The Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization Framework: A Case Study of Wind Blade Circularity in Texas

End-of-Life Alternatives for Wind Turbine Blades: Sustainability Indices Based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Repurposing and recycling wind turbine blades in the United States

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