Wind blades 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

About 3,000 wind turbines have been built in the U.S. each year since 2005. At three blades each over twenty years, that's roughly 180,000 blades so far. 

They're supposed to last 20+ years but are often done in ten years or less. What happens then? Going to landfills around the world, as they do now, is not a sustainable future.

Fiberglass, their main component, is very difficult to break down for recycling. Veolia started making the blades into a product that the cement industry can use, and which can strengthen their end product. 

Beyond that, Canvus is making outdoor furniture out of "fillets" of enormous blades. But they can only do that with about half the blades sent to them. The rest are either too damaged or just too huge. 

To be considered green and sustainable, wind power will have to come up with better solutions for wind blades at the end of their usable life.