German recycling industry calls for change in approach to wind turbine design

Germany’s recycling industry has called for a change in approach to wind turbine design to enable used materials to be reused once the turbines reach the end of their service life. Otherwise, the country faces an environmental problem. The information was reported by international outlet Clean Energy Wire, citing the daily newspaper Handelsblatt.

According to international outlet Clean Energy Wire, the German waste management association BDE has warned that the country will face a long-term problem with waste from wind turbines unless they are manufactured in a way that allows them to be recycled at the end of their service life rather than simply disposed of.

“For decades, Germany has been installing wind turbines in fields that cannot be sensibly recycled,” said BDE director Peter Kurth.

According to BDE, the biggest problem is posed by wind turbine rotors made from carbon or glass fibers. The association has therefore called on wind turbine suppliers to change their approach to design and manufacture turbines that can be easily dismantled into components for reuse.