Skip to main content

One of the world’s largest offshore wind farms will use recyclable turbine blades

The very first deployment of Siemens Gamesa’s 108-meter-long (354-feet-long) B108 recyclable blades is headed to RWE’s 1.4 gigawatt (GW) Sofia offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank, off the UK’s east coast.

In 2022, global renewable energy giant RWE became the first commercial, large-scale offshore developer to install Siemens Gamesa’s recyclable blade technology RecyclableBlade, at its Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany.

Kaskasi features 81-meter-long (266-feet-long) RecyclableBlades on select SG 8.0-167 DD offshore wind turbines, and Sofia is the first project to utilize the 108-meter-long RecyclableBlades – that’s equivalent to the length of a football pitch.

Siemens Gamesa’s RecyclableBlade technology enables the full reclamation of the wind turbine blade’s components at the end of the product’s lifespan: the resin, fiberglass, and wood, among others, are separated using a mild acid solution.  

The RecyclableBlades will be installed on 44 of Sofia’s 100 SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines, because according to RWE, that’s what’s currently available.

Marc Becker, CEO of Siemens Gamesa’s offshore business, said:

When we began working with RWE on the Kaskasi project, we knew that we had taken the first major steps toward delivering a decisive change to the wind sector. Having the opportunity to produce and install 132 RecyclableBlades for the Sofia project is a remarkable achievement. 

Sofia was formerly known as Dogger Bank B, one of four Dogger Bank wind farms that were awarded consent in 2015. When RWE took Dogger Bank B over in 2017, it renamed it Sofia. When complete, Sofia will have the capacity to power 1.2 million UK homes. It’s expected to be fully online in 2026.

The RecyclableBlade technology was developed in Aalborg, Denmark, and all of the recyclable blades are manufactured in Hull in the UK.

Photo: Siemens Gamesa

Correction: “recycled” blades has been changed to “recyclable” blades in the copy. We apologize for the error.


UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Michelle Lewis Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.