A new material for wind blades that can be recycled could transform the wind industry, making renewable energy more sustainable than ever before while lowering costs in the process.
A new material for wind blades that can be recycled could transform the wind industry, making renewable energy more sustainable than ever before while lowering costs in the process.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with Arkema Inc of Pennsylvania, have demonstrated the feasibility of thermoplastic resin and validated its structural integrity on a thermoplastic composite blade manufactured at NREL.
Blades are currently manufactured using thermoset resin, which requires more energy and manpower in the manufacturing facility, and the end product often ends up in landfills. Switching to thermoplastic resin would make wind turbine blades more recyclable, and can also enable longer, lighter-weight, and lower-cost blades.
“With thermoset resin systems, it’s almost like when you fry an egg. You can’t reverse that,” said Derek Berry, a senior engineer at NREL. “But with a thermoplastic resin system, you can make a blade out of it. You heat it to a certain temperature, and it melts back down. You can get the liquid resin back and reuse that.”
Read more at DOE/National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Image: NREL researcher Robynne Murray works on a thermoplastic composite turbine blade at the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology Facility at NREL's Flatirons Campus. (Photo Credit: Dennis Schroeder, NREL)
