The wind industry’s recycling prob • Table.Briefings

The assembly and dismantling of wind turbines are very expensive in China, which makes recycling more difficult.

In recent years, China has built more wind turbines than any other country. But the turbines are slowly reaching the end of their life-cycle. They are either dismantled or replaced by new turbines, which poses a huge recycling problem for China. So far, there is no adequate recycling system for the rotor blades.

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) calls on wind turbine developers to replace old turbines with new ones after 15 years. For this purpose, a subsidy program has even been extended. By 2025, more than 30 gigawatts of old turbines must be dismantled. And by 2040, the figure will be as high as 263 gigawatts.

The wind industry’s recycling problem

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