Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 20 winners of the first phase of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize. Administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the $5.1 million, two-phase competition was launched in July 2023 as part of the American-Made Challenges program. The prize aims to advance the development of a cost-effective and sustainable U.S. recycling industry for wind turbine materials.
About 85%–90% of the mass of a wind turbine is made of materials that can already be commercially recycled. This prize seeks to close the gap on the remaining 10%–15% of unrecyclable material, which is primarily carbon fiber and fiberglass (found in wind turbine blades, nacelle covers, and hub covers) and rare earth elements like neodymium and dysprosium (found in generators).
