What happens to decommissioned wind turbines and blades? Some are finding new life as buildings.

Europe is on track for a record wind year, with 8.8 GW of new capacity installed in the first half of 2026 – a 30 per cent jump year on year.

That’s enough electricity to power around seven million European households and replace fossil fuel imports equivalent to 25 LNG tankers a year, according to industry nonprofit WindEurope.

But every turbine that goes up eventually means one coming down – and manufacturers are still working out how to make sure none of the materials go to waste.

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[–] 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)

The blades aren't worth much, you can probably just shred it and turn it into fiberglass insulation.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    fiberglass insulation works because of 2 things, glass' low thermal conductivity, but especially because all the air trapped between all the thin strands. Shredding these would create a mainly compact granulate/dust, and a shit ton of microplastics.

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