What are wind turbine blades made from?

The outer skins of wind and tidal turbine blades generally comprise infused, GFRP laminates sandwiching foam core. Inside the blade, rib-like shear webs bonded to spar caps reinforce the structure. Spar caps are often made from GFRP or, as blade lengths lengthen, pultruded carbon fiber for additional strength. Source: Composites end markets: Renewable energy

What energy applications are composites used for?

In renewable energy, fiberglass composites are used, most prominently, to build wind turbine blades and nacelles. Carbon fiber composites are also used to build wind blade spar caps. Hydroelectric turbines, tidal energy turbines and other forms of renewable energy have also made use of composites. In oil and gas, composites have long been used as a corrosion-resistant metal alternative for a number of applications, including components for protecting wellheads, manifolds and other equipment related to subsea processing, and offshore pipelines themselves.

What happens to wind blades at the end of their lifespan?

As wind energy ramps up, recycling of composite wind blades at their end of life (EOL) – as well as composites and plastics recycling in general – continues to be a topic of concern. More than 80% of a wind turbine itself is typically metallic and recyclable, but the increasingly long, high-performance composite blades pose more of a challenge. Efforts include: Near-term: Ramping up existing recycling methods like mechanical chopping up blades or repurposing entire blades for other uses Medium-term: Developing more efficient methods such as chemical recycling (solvolysis) for reclaiming the original fibers from EOL blades for reuse Long-term: Designing and manufacturing wind blades with sustainable/recyclable materials Source: Moving toward next-generation wind blade recycling

WIND/ENERGY

Carbon Fibers

Strohm secures second “Jumpers on Demand” contract from ExxonMobil

On-site service includes readily available 24+ carbon fiber-reinforced PA12 jumpers to be installed at depths of 1,700 meters for water and gas (WAG) application.

Grace Nehls
Managing Editor, CompositesWorld

Glass Fibers

Continuum targets facility capacity, transforms composite materials to advance wind blade recycling

The Denmark company details a CO2-neutral transformation technology to make 100% recyclable wind blades, plans to build six recycling facilities.

Wind/Energy

REGEN Fiber launches eco-friendly wind blade recycling process

REGEN Fiber’s sustainable recycling process keeps wind blades out of landfills by converting them into raw materials for use in asphalt, composite products and more.
#windblades

Wind/Energy

TPI, GE extend supply agreements, plan next-gen wind blade design collaboration

TPI has manufactured wind blades for GE since 2008. New commitments will lead to the development of new blade types and potentially more production lines in 2023.
#windblades

Wind/Energy

New Vestas business provides automated blade leading edge maintenance solution

BladeRobots is a standalone business developing a wireless, automated robot that can reportedly provide maintenance up to four times faster than traditional methods.

CW Plant Tour: Aeris Energy, Caucaia, Brazil

This young, up-and-coming wind blade manufacturer was founded to serve the Brazilian wind energy market, but it’s poised to do much more.
#ndi #layup #windblades

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Wind/Energy |

Composites end markets: Energy (2023)

Composites are used widely in oil/gas, wind and other renewable energy applications. Despite market challenges, growth potential and innovation for composites continue.
#sourcebook #feature #multitudeofmarkets

Hannah Mason Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Videos / Podcasts

Wind/Energy

Plant tour: ÉireComposites, Galway, Ireland

August 19, 2022 - 12:00 AM EST

An in-house testing business and R&D focus has led to innovative materials use and projects in a range of markets, from civil aerospace to renewable energy to marine.
#planttour #space #windblades

Testing

Evident wind blade inspection system automates nondestructive ultrasonic testing

August 15, 2022 - 12:00 PM EST

An autonomous, cobot-mounted inspection system combines Industry 4.0 with established ultrasonic technology to rapidly provide repeatable, accurate data and improve overall efficiency.
#ndi #automation #composites4_0

Markforged Vestas 3D printed composite marking tool

Wind/Energy

Vestas implements composites 3D printing to increase efficiency for blade alignment tools

July 18, 2022 - 12:00 AM EST

A Markforged digital repository and multi-material 3D printers enable faster, more accurate and less costly manufacture of a variety of tools and blade components across Vestas sites.
#application

Wind/Energy

JEC World 2022, Part 3: Emphasizing emerging markets, thermoplastics and carbon fiber

June 09, 2022 - 12:00 AM EST

CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan identifies companies exhibiting at JEC World 2022 that are advancing both materials and technologies for the growing AAM, hydrogen, automotive and sustainability markets.

RTM

Sensors: Data for next-gen composites manufacturing

March 01, 2022 - 12:00 AM EST

In the quest for sustainability, sensors are reducing cycle times, energy use and waste, automating closed-loop process control and increasing knowledge to open new possibilities for intelligent manufacturing and structures.
#sensors #sustainability #SHM

Wind/Energy

Firefly Inspect drone outfitted with infrared vision and AI to transform wind turbine, aircraft inspection

February 07, 2022 - 10:00 AM EST

Drone technology combined with active thermography reported to offers faster, cheaper and more in-depth inspection of composites used in wind turbine blades and aircraft wings.
#SHM

Wind/Energy

Re-Wind Network successfully installs repurposed wind blade pedestrian bridge

January 31, 2022 - 1:00 PM EST

The Ireland-based, five-meter-long BladeBridge solution has undergone extensive materials and mechanical testing to ensure application suitability.
#infrastructure

Wind/Energy |

Kite-based energy system aims for high-output, low-impact wind energy

Netherlands-based startup Kitepower’s Falcon airborne wind energy (AWE) system deploys a fiberglass-intensive kite to generate wind energy with a low ground footprint.
#application

Hannah Mason Technical Editor, CompositesWorld

Wind/Energy

GE Haliade-X 14.7 MW-220 turbine obtains full DNV type certificate

Rigorous third-party certification process for Haliade-X has been successfully completed, making it what GE says is the largest wind turbine with a full type certification.

Wind/Energy

WETO funding opportunity addresses wind energy deployment challenges

Wind Energy Technologies Office releases $28 million in funding for interested parties to address barriers to the deployment of wind energy onshore, offshore and distributed.

Wind/Energy

Takeaways from International Conference on Sustainable Wind Turbine Blades 2022

Organizers and attendees lessons learned and outlook from November 2022 conference at DTU Risø in Denmark.

Wind/Energy

Winners announced for California offshore wind energy auction

First offshore wind lease sale in the Pacific results in more than $757 million in winning bids for five lease areas in the U.S., adding to the Carolinas and New York Bight.

Wind/Energy

Vestas selected as preferred supplier for 1.3 GW MunmuBaram floating offshore wind project

Announcement marks the first large-scale floating offshore project for Vestas, and first V236-15.0 MW installation on floating foundations.

Wind/Energy

DNV, Reodor Studios create digital service for sustainable wind farm decommissioning

New ReWind service will enable recyclability assessment and sustainable end-of-life planning for wind turbines.

Fabrics/Preforms |

Plant tour: AvCarb, Lowell, Mass., U.S.

Composites are often selected for their structural properties, but at AvCarb, innovation in carbon fiber-based products has driven fuel cell technology advances for decades.
#planttour

Jeff Sloan Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld