Circular Spotlight: Denmark – giving wind turbine blades a second life

Denmark is at the forefront of tackling one of the biggest challenges in the renewable energy sector: how to sustainably manage decommissioned wind turbine blades. With the global energy transition accelerating, the end-of-life for these blades—usually made from composite materials difficult to recycle—poses an environmental concern. Denmark is transforming this challenge into an opportunity by pioneering circular economy solutions that give turbine blades a valuable second life.

One of the landmark initiatives is the DecomBlades project, a three-year Danish innovation endeavor aimed at establishing sustainable recycling value chains. It focuses on recycling composite materials from blades through methods like mechanical crushing, pyrolysis (high-temperature processing), and utilizing crushed blade materials in cement production. This project also introduced a Blade Material Passport to standardize recycling practices and facilitate commercial recycling, making Denmark a global leader in this field.

Further innovative technology from Danish companies such as Clenflex employs pyrolysis to separate glass fibers and binders from old blades, allowing the recovered fibers to be reused in manufacturing new products like lifeboat tanks and boxes. This closed-loop approach exemplifies cutting-edge circularity and material recovery.

Denmark is also creatively repurposing decommissioned blades into community infrastructure, including bicycle shelters, pedestrian bridges, and playground equipment. These structures leverage the blades' inherent strength and weather resistance, reducing the need for new materials and exemplifying practical circular reuse. The Re-Wind project and similar efforts have already realized multiple such installations, with plans to expand considerably by 2025 and beyond.

Research from the University of Southern Denmark further confirms the feasibility of recycling wind turbine blades with existing technologies, emphasizing that immediate large-scale implementation is possible. The key lies in developing effective logistics and supply chains, as well as coordinating technological solutions.

Additionally, Vestas, a major Danish wind turbine manufacturer, has innovated a chemical recycling process that breaks down epoxy-based blades into raw materials for reuse, which marks a significant advance for circularity in wind energy.

Overall, Denmark’s holistic approach—from advanced recycling technologies and industrial scale initiatives to creative repurposing and supportive research—demonstrates how wind energy's environmental footprint can be minimized throughout the blade lifecycle. As wind turbines approach end-of-life globally, Denmark’s solutions offer inspiring models for integrating circular economy principles into the energy transition, promoting sustainability, job creation, and resource efficiency on a large scale.

References:

• DecomBlades project: DecomBlades.dk, Energy Cluster Denmark

• Clenflex recycling pyrolysis technology: forcetechnology.com

• Community infrastructure reuse (Re-Wind project): impactful.ninja, designboom.com

• Recycling feasibility research: SDU University of Southern Denmark

• Vestas chemical recycling process: thenextweb.com, offshorewind.biz