It is estimated that there will be approximately 66,000 tons of decommissioned wind turbine blades in Europe by 2025, and by 2040, the annual figure is projected to reach 230,000 tons. Currently, there are no large-scale methods for recycling the glass fiber material mixed with epoxy, so the material ends up in landfills where it is buried. Wind turbines are not only a vital source of CO2-neutral energy but also a waste management challenge.
As part of the green transition, a new project aims to explore the possibility of recycling wind turbines in construction. Lendager Group is working on a scalable solution where wind turbine blades can be reused as sunshading in future high-rise buildings. However, the pre-accepted solutions in the building regulations do not allow for the installation of wind turbine blade cut-outs up to 3.5 meters high on the façade.
In collaboration with DBI, a series of downscaled facade fire tests have been conducted to establish a documentation basis, leading to new material and design considerations for Lendager Group. It has been revealed that a wind turbine blade section with fire-retardant, expanding paint is not a better solution than an untreated wind turbine blade section.
By involving DBI in the development phase, an agile development process has been established, allowing prototypes to be continuously tested through downscaled fire tests.
The project runs from June to the end of 2021.
