14,000 wind turbines worldwide will be scrap by 2025

The focus of the workshop is on the recycling need of 14,000 wind turbines that will expire by 2025 around the world, especially these turbines concentrated in Europe, and the problem of 40-60 thousand tons of composite waste that will arise in this process. It is pointed out that if these turbines are not recycled correctly, they face the risk of being buried underground, and it is stated that the solution to this problem is of great importance. In this context, in accordance with the European Union's steel agreement, it is aimed to reduce waste by 70% and regular waste landfills by 90% by 2030. In this context, the importance of the circular economy emerges as another emphasized element of the project. While renewable energy sources and infrastructures are expected to increase by 40% in Europe by 2023, wind energy will make a significant contribution to this growth. Therefore, the "Blades2Build" project aims to improve the recycling and circularity options of wind blades. The JIDEP project, which will be carried out with the participation of 14 partners from 8 countries, was also introduced at the workshop. This project focuses on R&D studies at the recycling stage of wind turbines. In addition, Zorlu Enerji, which attaches great importance to innovation and R&D activities, is 100 percent eligible for the JIDEP project it applied for within the scope of HORIZON Europe, which is the continuation of the HORIZON 2020 grant program created to support the European Union's research, development and innovation projects. announced that he received grant support. While it is stated that there are currently 355 wind power plants in operation in Turkey and the total installed power is at the level of 10.6 GW, the recycling and re-use of the blades that will end their useful life in these power plants in the coming years is highlighted as a step that will make a great environmental and economic contribution. is coming out. These developments support the sustainability and growth of the wind energy sector. While the first part of the workshop started with a session evaluating the future of wind turbine blade recycling, the afternoon part continued with group studies where legal regulations, current situation and potential areas of use in blade recycling were discussed. This event aims to contribute to the development of the wind turbine recycling sector and was completed with great interest from relevant sector representatives.