Rachel Levin, a popular art lecturer who often lectures at the Bernard Betel Centre for our weekly Tuesday Lifelong Learning Lectures, has provided a thoughtful and creative write-up for the Bernard Betel Centre community on unconventional materials. Enjoy!
Wind Turbine Blades to Playground Equipment, Bus and Bike Shelters and Outdoor Furniture
Environmentalists estimate that before 2050, 43 million tons of waste will be generated worldwide just from one of the most promising clean energy generators. Wind turbines, while they are carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels, they are only 85 percent recyclable or reusable. Their massive fiberglass blades are so large that they span the width of a football field.
Blades are built to resist the elements, therefore are difficult to breakdown, often end up deteriorating in a landfill for 20 to 25 years. Until a high-volume solution for recycling these structures becomes viable, there is a growing trend in repurposing the discarded blades in a maze style playgrounds equipment and other purposes.
While wind power energy is gaining momentum as the energy source of choice around the world, alongside solar power, the Netherlands has long been championing wind energy from its infancy continuing the country’s iconic windmills. In the Netherlands, there are plenty of discarded wind turbine blades looking for a second life.
Rotterdam based architectural firm Superuse Studios who designed the Wikado Playground addresses the issue of saving out-of-service wind turbines from landfill by constructing bicycles shelters.
Bus shelters are designed for thousands of daily commuters using the bus-train transfer station at Almere Poort, Holland. The durable and indestructible shelter design uses four 30 meter rotor blades. Waste rotor blades are easy to find in Almere, Holland’s #1 wind-energy region. The two 30 meter blades are used to create a large shelter.
The changing shape over the blades’ length gives the shelter a roof that morphs into different forms depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Every part of the blade is used. More research by the European Engineering Team decided that another solution would be to recycle and reuse wind turbine blades by turning them into benches.
The repurposing of existing small scale wind turbines makes their parts recyclable and increases their efficiency. This would also decrease the amount of end-of-life waste created by these turbines, as higher efficiency means less parts being thrown out.
The repurposing of existing small scale wind turbines makes their parts recyclable and increases their efficiency. This would also decrease the amount of end-of-life waste created by these turbines, as higher efficiency means less parts being thrown out.
More research by the European Engineering Team decided that another solution would be to recycle and reuse wind turbine blades by turning them into benches.
Bicycle shelter in Aalborg, Denmark
As pioneer in wind power generation, Denmark today relies on wind energy to meet 40 percent of their energy requirements. The country is also facing a problem of discarded wind turbine blades, which typically have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
As an early adopter of wind power, Denmark is dealing with the challenge of bulk disposal of these fiberglass blades. Conventional methods of disposal of this composite waste include landfill disposal, incineration and recycling. While landfill disposal will only lead to overflow, incineration has its own environmental problems.
Recycling, therefore, seems to be the sustainable way forward by repurposing the decommissioned blades into clever usable solutions.
The ReWind Network, one of the companies assigned by the Danish Government to recycle wind turbine blades, is repurposing these giant structures into various architectural elements such as bicycle shelters and pedestrian footbridges. The company recently installed wind turbine blades in the Danish port of Aalborg to create protective bike shelters.
The characteristic wing-like shape of the blade provides a canopy, and opens up potential for creating similar shelters in urban spaces, or in architectural and structural applications.
A German company name Wings for Living transforms blades of decommissioned wind turbines into aesthetic garden furniture and extend their life cycle in a beautifully designed way.
Wings for Living headquartered in Dresden and all sales activities are controlled from there while production of the high-quality furniture pieces takes place in the Polish manufactory Anmet.
