The UK has taken a significant step forward in renewable energy. The massive offshore wind farm Sofia, 195 kilometers off the country’s northeast coast, is using recyclable rotor blades. This is the first such application on this scale in the UK.
Recyclable rotor blades are coming
German energy company RWE and turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa have begun installing these blades for the 1.4 gigawatt (GW) Sofia Offshore Wind Farm. A total of 150 recyclable blades will be installed at the plant under a contract signed with Siemens Gamesa in 2023. Half of the blades have already been installed on 50 of the 100 turbines. Installation of the remaining units will be completed by the end of the year.
The Sofia project, one of the largest renewable energy projects under construction in Europe, will generate enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of approximately 1.2 million households when it reaches full capacity.
Thomas Michel, COO of RWE Offshore Wind, stated that the blades are made from specially developed, recyclable resins. This allows the materials from end-of-life blades to be easily separated. The separated materials can be reused in a variety of consumer products, from automotive parts to helmets and luggage.
Siemens Gamesa first pilot-tested this technology at the Kaskasi wind farm in Germany. The Sofia project brought this pioneering application to the UK. The Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 turbines used at the plant are among the largest in the world, with 108-meter-long blades and a rotor diameter of 222 meters.
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