Veolia's partnership with GE Renewable Energy is helping to make wind energy even more sustainable
Veolia's pioneering work recycling wind turbine blades for cement manufacturing is giving new meaning to the word "circularity," taking wind turbine blades that have reached the end of their life cycle and shredding them into material that can be used to support cement manufacturing. In partnership with GE Renewable Power, Veolia's innovative program has processed over 800 wind blades, converting them into confetti-like material that can be used as fuel in cement kilns, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 27 percent.
Veolia Senior Director Chris Howell, who oversees the innovative program, provided a comprehensive overview of the process on the August 2021 episode of the Uptime Podcast, which focuses on innovations in the wind industry and reaches a growing audience of more than 2,000 industry leaders and insiders. Howell spoke about how the program developed as a way to address the challenge of managing large-scale wind blades once they have reached the end of their life cycle, a growing challenge as wind farms expand and mature. Traditionally most of the blades, which can stretch 120 feet or more, have been disposed of in landfills, a non-sustainable solution. Veolia's program helps bring the wind industry full circle.
Check out the Uptime podcast recording to learn more!