The article in the url below deals with the issue of how to discard the detritus of the renewable energy sector. Specifically, it notes that there is a large amount of hardware that is required to produce wind energy, which is rapidly reaching the end of its lifespan – particularly the blades from the turbines that were installed in the early 2000s:
"By 2025, trade association WindEurope estimates that 25,000 metric tons of wind turbine blades will be phased out each year in Europe alone, equivalent to the weight of more than 6,000 Hummer SUVs."
Unfortunately, most of the blades that were installed in those early years are either not recyclable or just not recycled:
"Most wind turbine blades end up in landfills or are incinerated. … That footprint only stands to grow: Total installed wind capacity reached 906 gigawatts worldwide last year, more than quadruple 2010 levels, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, an industry group. An additional 600 gigawatts are expected by 2027."
Nonprofit groups like Canvus (an organization dedicated to bringing "communities, organizations, and artists together to reimagine spaces, inspire others, and share new experiences") are working to convert the blades into functional items:
"At first glance, the benches outside the Great Lakes Science Center in downtown Cleveland seem unremarkable. But a closer inspection shows that their droplet-shaped shells aren't made from wood or metal. A scan of the attached QR codes reveals even more: These benches used to be wind turbine blades. Painted by local artists and weighing in at about 500 pounds (230 kilograms) apiece, the benches were crafted by Rocky River, Ohio-based Canvus, which will install 10 more in the same location later this month. Altogether, the dozen benches reuse roughly a quarter of a single 150-foot (45-meter) wind turbine blade."
They have lots of other ideas, too:
"The team came up with 150 ideas for products to make out of turbine blades before settling on 11 – planters, picnic tables and benches – that could be produced at scale. It also assigned each product a pithy name: the 'deborah' bench, for example, offers shade protection and is also available as a swing; 'beacon,' meanwhile, can be a bench, planter or fountain."
The article in the second url below confirms that there is a lot of hardware out there (EVs, bikes, and scooters) that has been discarded as the market attempts to identify the ideal solutions to specific sustainability-related problems:
"China is now the world leader in clean cars, producing around 6 million EVs and plug-in hybrids last year, or almost one in every three new cars sold domestically. It accounts for 60% of the world's current electric fleet, and has the most extensive EV charging infrastructure on Earth – also built with government support. But that lightning-fast development also left behind plenty of casualties. Many of the ride-hailing companies that were early adopters of EVs have gone out of business. There are now around 100 Chinese electric-car makers, down from roughly 500 in 2019."
Take care
David
David Chandler
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Retired Wind Turbine Blades Live on as Park Benches and Picnic Tables
By Coco Liu
June 15, 2023
Bloomberg
China's Abandoned, Obsolete Electric Cars Are Piling Up in Cities
August 17, 2023
Bloomberg
