Wind Turbines’ End-of-Life: Quantification and Characterisation of Future Waste Materials on a National Level

Abstract

Abstract:Globally, wind power is growing fast and in Sweden alone more than 3000 turbines have been installed since the mid-1990s. Although the number of decommissioned turbines so far is few, the high installation rate suggests that a similarly high decommissioning rate can be expected at some point in the future. If the waste material from these turbines is not handled sustainably the whole concept of wind power as a clean energy alternative is challenged. This study presents a generally applicable method and quantification based on statistics of the waste amounts from wind turbines in Sweden. The expected annual mean growth is 12% until 2026, followed by a mean increase of 41% until 2034. By then, annual waste amounts are estimated to 240,000 tonnes steel and iron (16% of currently recycled materials), 2300 tonnes aluminium (4%), 3300 tonnes copper (5%), 340 tonnes electronics (<1%) and 28,000 tonnes blade materials (barely recycled today). Three studied scenarios suggest that a well-functioning market for re-use may postpone the effects of these waste amounts until improved recycling systems are in place.

Energy and Waste Management

“…Half of the studies apply a systems perspective [15,16,18,20], often in combination with some kind of future studies [15][16][17][18]. Research is about obtaining new knowledge and new insights, from a detailed level to a system level, for a current situation or as decision support affecting the future.…”

“…Some non-experimental studies use models [16][17][18] while two studies [15,19] are based on calculations which cannot be considered complex mathematical models. Experimental papers are often shorter and focused on a limited set of parameters, while model studies cover large systems with a lot of data, making the papers longer and more comprehensive.…”

“…Two studies have electricity generation in focus [15,19] while one study recovers oil as fuel which can later be used for different purposes. Depending on local climate conditions, district cooling may be more interesting than district heating in many parts of the world.…”

“…This was more or less expected as it is the most obvious way to combine energy and waste management. The study on wind power plants [15] is the exception to the rule. In the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, more such studies are welcome to illustrate how the decommission of large and old plants using fossil fuels can be conducted, as well as investigating construction, maintenance, and lifetime expectancies for renewable technologies, including not just wind power plants but also solar PV.…”

“…The next paper changes focus completely from energy recovery from waste management to waste recovery from energy supply [15]. The study does not focus on present systems, but rather a future perspective, and asks a question about how to quantify and characterize waste materials from wind turbines.…”