Producer responsibility: Defining the incentive for recycling composite wind turbine blades in Europe

Current global commitments to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are resulting in increasing demand for wind energy technologies as a secure, affordable supply of energy. However, the recent expansion of wind energy generation is creating a growing waste disposal issue associated with the decommissioning of wind turbine (WT) blades in the future. Whilst the average recyclability across the components of a modern WT has been calculated to be 80% by mass, the composite WT blades present a challenge for waste management. There is currently little legislation present for the regulation of end-of-life waste management for the wind energy industry in Europe. However, a review of European waste management policy has shown that landfill bans effectively divert waste from landfill and drive towards energy recovery. This paper considers the producer responsibility scenarios for manufacturers to recycle WT blades. This will include an investigation into the current and future methods of WT blade disposal and specifically the potential of carbon fibre (CF) to add to the recyclability of blade systems.