The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office and its partners are working to develop efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible ways to manage the volume of decommissioned wind turbine materials. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories provide research, development, and demonstration funding recommendations to inform the Wind Energy Recycling Research, Development, and Demonstration program, which is funded by the Infrastructure and Jobs Act.
Today, approximately 90% of the mass of wind turbines and wind systems can be recycled. The Wind Energy Tech Recycling Research & Development program aims to create innovative and practical approaches to increase the reuse and recycling of wind energy technologies. Reuse and recycling activities can help mitigate wind energy’s impact on national resources, as increased wind energy technology deployment influences demand for raw and processed materials, including critical materials vulnerable to supply disruption. Transitioning the U.S. wind industry into a circular, resource-conserving economy will help reduce material supply chain vulnerabilities, conserve U.S. resources, and increase the wind energy sector.
To support this transition, research conducted between multiple national labs through collaborative assessments help WETO understand how alternative materials, designs, and manufacturing processes might enable more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible disassembly of and resource recovery from wind energy technologies. This research includes:
- Evaluating current industry practices
- Assessing the research, development, and demonstration landscape, including cross-sector opportunities
- Identifying opportunities for emerging technologies (e.g., by engaging with the broader scientific community, including universities, industry, national labs, and other research institutes).
Additional objectives include establishing metrics that can be used to compare technologies and inform recommendations for future research funding. This effort includes providing data to DOE that will guide high-impact, high-priority research and development needs in the U.S. wind energy industry, as well as information to support community engagement and outreach.
