Learn how we recycle wind turbine blades
Respecting the environment doesn't stop with delivering clean, renewable energy to our customers. It also means doing everything we can to recycle and repurpose any and all of our equipment, including wind turbine blades.
Though certain landfills accept dismantled turbine blades just like other nonhazardous solid waste products, in 2021, MidAmerican ceased disposing of blades at landfills.
Every turbine blade that has been taken out of service is repurposed or recycled. When blades need replacing, we use new and sometimes larger, blades that can harness more wind to generate even more electricity. But, those old blades can still be used in other ways. Nearly all of the components that make up a turbine blade can be recycled or salvaged, and the rest can be repurposed. Find out how it's done!
How are turbine blades recycled?
Turbine blades are mainly composed of metal, balsa wood and fiberglass. Metal components such as iron, steel or copper are valuable scrap materials. Balsa wood in a turbine blade is burned to generate heat needed for processes like pyrolysis – the extraction of glass fiber from the rest of the shredded blade remnants. Fiberglass, once extracted and processed, has several uses. The following steps help us get what we need to repurpose the recycled pieces.
Cut it fine
When a blade is removed for recycling, it is cut down into sections for easier transportation. Our crews and contractors use wet-cutting tools and containment equipment to minimize fiberglass dust in the air and debris left behind on the ground.
Strip it down
Once the blade has been cut for transport and arrives at a sorting facility, each section is dismantled to separate the different materials and prepare them for their next use. The smaller, nonmetallic sections are shredded to reduce in size further. Depending on what the shredded materials will be used for, the final result could be as fine as a powder!
Begin anew
Once the blade contents are processed accordingly, the recovered materials are provided to manufacturers for use as raw material, including fibers that help strengthen concrete and, in other cases, tiny pieces that help fuel cement kilns. MidAmerican is working with the wind energy industry on promising solutions to repurpose materials from blades that are no longer in service.