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THEME PAPER
However, the turbine blades are the wind turbine blade waste in more than 80 % of the global
generally decommissioned in 20 India and discusses the various wind energy production in the
years and result into large waste end-of-life options available for world. Among these countries,
quantities. The major barriers to the waste materials produced China and USA produce more
wind blade end-of-life from wind energy. than half of the wind energy
management include a GLOBAL WIND ENERGY combined together (Figure 1).
combination of parameters from SCENARIO The largest producer of wind
the material itself to the energy is China currently. In
Currently the energy deficit and
economic scale-up of composites year 2017, nine countries (from
climate change have been
recycling and used turbines the above mentioned) added
amongst the most significant
dismantling. As the turbines are 10GW of wind installations
problems globally. To fulfil the
made up of complex materials, while 26 countries (from Europe,
requirements of various
disposing off these blades will Asia-Pacific, Latin America and
agreements on climate change,
be tricky due to concerns like Africa) were able to install
there is a need to reduce CO₂
environmental damage and around 1GW. Among the
emissions so as to prevent global
resources depletion. If these continents, Asia was able to hold
warming. This can be done by
blades are discarded in urban its dominance by installing 25.74
switching from fossil fuels to
landfills/ dumping yards, not GW of onshore and offshore
renewable sources of energy.
only their capacities would be wind energy in year 2018 only.
The transformation from fossil
severely hampered, but they can From Europe, Germany with
fuels to renewables will also
also pose threat to the nearby installed capacity of 3.43 GW
bring prosperity. It would boost
environment by leaching out was at the top position. USA
the GDP by around 2.5% and
toxic chemicals. The problem has was able to add 7.6GW to its
will help boosting employment
already started appearing in wind energy in year 2018 (Wind
by around 0.2% globally in 2050
countries that jumped onto the Global and Energy Council,
(IRENA, 2019).
wind energy earlier than India 2019).
e.g. in USA, about 8,000 blades Top ten countries contribute
will be removed in each of the
Figure 1: Percent share in wind energy generation for the top ten countries
next four years. Europe, which
in the world (Wind Global and Energy Council)
has been dealing with the
problem longer, has about 3,800
1.6
coming down annually through 2.2 2.5
2.6
2022 (Bloomberg, 2020). In
3.5
Sweden, the waste from wind
4.0
turbines is estimated to be about 35.7
245,940 tonnes annually 5.9
(Andersen et al, 2016).
10.0
For wind energy to be
environmentally sustainable, it
becomes important to assess the 16.3
environmental impacts at each
stage of life including end-of- China USA Germany India Spain UK Canada France Brazil Italy
life. This article aims to quantify
Source: Wind Global and Energy Council, 2019
14 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
