Circular economy pathways of Danish and German decommissioned turbines: a second lifecycle or recycling?

When: Thursday, 5 December 2024, 9:00 - 9:30
Where: Room G3
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Session description

Onshore wind turbines in Europe are increasingly reaching the end of their first lifecycle, necessitating the establishment of circular supply chains, such as refurbishment or recycling facilities. Accurate component and material flow forecasts are essential, particularly for developing blade-recycling capacity, as these facilities are still emerging. However, current forecasts often assume a static decommissioning timeline and overlook a second lifecycle, leading to overestimated recycling quantities. This study addresses these issues by collecting empirical data from Denmark and Germany and proposing a new forecasting model for better planning of blade-recycling capacity thereby improving the decision-making basis for policy makers and companies to achieve sustainable resource use along the wind industry's entire value chain.