Did you know the length of a single wind turbine blade is about the width of an NFL football field? With a shelf life of around 20 years, thousands of wind turbines must be decommissioned every year, and the 166-foot length of the blades poses a challenge when they're ready to be decommissioned. Many of the wind turbines across the US are spinning toward retirement — but what happens to wind turbines when they’ve reached their shelf life?
A complex problem
As wind energy continues to dominate the energy sphere in the US, many energy industry experts have raised concerns about the disposal of retired turbine blades. In 2019, NPR reported that an estimated 720,000 tons of blade material will need to be disposed of over the next two decades. Often, wind turbine blades end up in landfills because they’re made of fiberglass and balsa wood, materials that are difficult to recycle. The wind turbine blades can be burned to dispose of them, but this process releases carbon into the atmosphere.
A sustainable solution
Alliant Energy’s logistics subsidiary, Travero, has recently launched a new company called REGEN Fiber that offers a truly eco-friendly solution. The company repurposes the blade material in an innovative way: without using heat or chemicals, the recycled material is processed into reinforcement fibers and additives which are used in concrete, mortar, asphalt and composite products.
After a successful pilot program in Des Moines, a new commercial-scale production facility in Fairfax (Iowa) is expected to be up and running later this year. Once the new facility reaches full production, REGEN Fiber anticipates recycling more than 30,000 tons of shredded blade material annually. This process will keep thousands of wind turbine blades out of landfills and keep carbon out of the air we breathe.
As the third largest utility owner and operator of regulated wind energy in the United States, Alliant Energy has a distinct responsibility to ensure that we’re minimizing the blades’ negative impact on the environment. This is one way we’re sustaining the environmental and economic health of the communities we serve.
For more information on all our sustainability efforts, check out our Clean Energy Blueprint.
What happens to retired wind turbine blades?
Kaitlyn Koester
External Communications Intern
Published on February 10, 2023
Kaitlyn is an intern with the External Communications Team. She is a student at The University of Iowa, studying Journalism & Mass Communication and Event Management. Kaitlyn is passionate about sustainability and is eager to help tell Alliant Energy’s story in their journey to create a better future.
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