Read the full story at Bloomberg Green.
Countries across Europe should ban old turbine blades from going into landfills by the middle of the decade, industry group Wind Europe said Wednesday.
Category: Wind
GE, LafargeHolcim partner to improve circularity of wind industry with turbine recycling initiative
Read the full story at ESG Today.
Renewable energy solutions company GE Renewable Energy, and building materials company LafargeHolcim announced today an initiative aimed at improving the circularity of the wind energy industry through the utilization of materials from decommissioned wind turbines.
New coalition aims to commercialize recyclability of wind turbine blades
Read the full story at Wind Power.
A coalition of industry and academic leaders have developed a new technology to enable circularity for thermoset composites, the material used to make wind turbine blades.
The new technology delivers the final technological step on the journey towards a fully recyclable wind turbine value chain. To enable the adoption of this new technology, and to advance a circular economy across the wind industry, a new initiative entitled Circular Economy for Thermosets Epoxy Composites (CETEC) has been established. Within three years, CETEC is aiming to present a fully scoped solution ready for industrial adoption, based on the commercialization of the novel circularity technology.
Partly funded by Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD), CETEC is spearheaded by Vestas, a provider of sustainable energy solutions, and involves both industrial and academic leaders including Olin, a producer of epoxy, the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) and Aarhus University.
End of wind power waste? Vestas unveils blade recycling technology
Read the full story from Reuters.
Wind turbine maker Vestas unveiled new technology on Monday which it says enables wind turbine blades to be fully recycled, avoiding the dumping of old blades.
Novel computational framework seeks insight into eagle flight at wind plants
Read the full story from the National Renewable Energy Lab.
Golden eagles strike a cutting visage that, to put it mildly, grants the species an aura of regality. Occupying much of the Northern Hemisphere, many cultures view this species as a sacred messenger of the gods and kings and queens of the sky.
Not only are these birds highly revered, but highly protected—receiving protections under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. As a result, their presence must be carefully considered by wind power plant operators and developers working in eagle territory, presenting challenges that can extend permitting timelines, add unanticipated project costs, and constrain energy output.
To address these challenges, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) scientists along with fellow researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey, Western EcoSystems Inc., and Conservation Science Global Inc. are developing a state-of-the-art computational framework for modeling golden eagle behavior near wind farms. In all hopes, this tool can help guide wind power plant siting decisions and dynamic curtailment strategies informed by real-time eagle flight path prediction.
Experts’ predictions for future wind energy costs drop significantly
Read the full story from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Technology and commercial advancements are expected to continue to drive down the cost of wind energy, according to a survey led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) of the world’s foremost wind power experts. Experts anticipate cost reductions of 17%-35% by 2035 and 37%-49% by 2050, driven by bigger and more efficient turbines, lower capital and operating costs, and other advancements. The findings are described in an article in the journal Nature Energy.
In a World of Big Wind, There’s Still a Place for Tiny Turbines
Read the full story from Bloomberg.
Cellphone towers that can’t connect to a power grid typically rely on solar panels or diesel generators. A small wind turbine can supplement solar generation, or be an alternative power source in areas where there’s limited space or sunlight. The systems can also offer lower costs and far cleaner energy than diesel.
Offshore Wind Data Release Propels Wind Prospecting
Read the full story from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
At first glance, today’s atmospheric scientists and mining prospectors of the past seem quite different. Look closer and you will find some striking similarities. Notably, a willingness to sift through volumes of information to dig up resource nuggets worth their weight in gold.
Unlike the past, however, today’s wind resource prospectors share their findings with the world. Using state-of-the-art modeling tools and sophisticated resource assessment technologies, the Wind Resource Characterization team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) makes available new offshore wind data sets.
“Existing offshore wind data are largely outdated, lacking precise, real-world observations,” said NREL researcher Mike Optis, who is leading efforts to update publicly available offshore wind data. “Our goal is to provide more accurate data sets to the public that can improve offshore wind plant site selection, design, and operational decisions.”
UK business group unveils offshore wind database
Read the full story at renews.biz.
UK energy business development organisation NOF has launched an offshore wind projects database.
The NOF Offshore Wind Projects Database offers access to data on over 900 projects, an insight into the industry’s key players, a five-year forecast of market development and supply chain spend.
U.S. East Coast states planning for surge in offshore wind projects
Read the full story from IEEFA.
U.S. East Coast states are bracing for an offshore wind boom as a new presidential administration signals support for the burgeoning industry.
