Wind turbine blades have to survive decades of weather and stress, but that durability makes recycling difficult when turbines retire. Most blades are made of fiberglass composite, which is expensive to break down, so the majority still end up in landfills. The article covers the main recycling routes, mechanical shredding, thermal processing, and chemical recovery, plus a newer approach: building blades out of laminated veneer wood. The wooden blade project from German startup Voodin Blade Technology recently received a 48.18 million euro grant from the EU Innovation Fund. The factory is expected to start producing around 160 blades a year in 2031. That is a small number compared to global deployment, but the article also notes a Rhode Island program recycling fiberglass from boats, which could bring down costs for the material broadly. For anyone tracking wind energy's waste problem, the article gives a clear look at why blade recycling lags behind other turbine components and what early stage solutions are trying to change that.
