The REFRESH team is delighted to have been invited to present our project at WindEurope’s End-of-Life Issues & Strategies (EoLIS) seminar.

EoLIS 2023 takes place on 22-23 November in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This event is the place to be to learn about the latest challenges, innovations and emerging trends in wind turbine end-of-life strategies and is expected to attract more than 250 industry experts and decision-makers.

REFRESH is joining two other EU-funded projects EoLO-Hubs and Blades2Build in the Blade Recycling Projects session on 23 November at 10.30-11.15 CEST, Dock 10. During this session, the projects will pitch their objectives and the envisaged road to commercialisation.

Session chair: Mie Elholm Birkbak, Specialist, Innovation and Concepts, Vestas

Speakers

• REFRESH – Daniel Grisenti, RINA Consulting
• Blades2Build – Ana Teresa Macas Lima, DTU
• EoLO-HUBs – Harald van der Mijle Meijer, TNO

REFRESH – turning waste into resource

As the wind energy industry gears up for substantial growth, REFRESH (Smart dismantling, sorting and REcycling of glass Fibre REinforced composite from wind power Sector through Holistic approach) is answering the need for a sustainable solution for the management of large volumes of blades which will come from the decommissioning of older turbines. The project is developing a novel circular, smart system to enable improved recycling of glass fibre reinforced composites derived from turbine dismantling or reblading.

New technologies being developed during the project are aiming to maximise the volume and quality of the materials recovered. REFRESH is seeking to reintroduce secondary raw materials into the value chains of the energy sector as well as other markets.

Read more about the REFRESH concept

About EoLIS 2023

Wind energy will be the cornerstone of the new sustainable European energy system. By 2030, we will need almost 500 GW of wind energy, states WindEurope, but a large part of Europe’s turbine fleet will come to the end of its operational life over the next 10-15 years.

Delivering on these ambitions will require the wind industry to step up. Installation of new wind farms will be required, but it will also be necessary to maximise existing assets through lifetime extension or repowering. The industry will need to secure enough materials and implement forward-looking recovery and recycling strategies.

More wind also means greater responsibility and calls for more sustainability and circularity. This will enable new business models and boost the competitiveness of the European supply chain. EoLIS 2023 will focus on incorporating sustainability into every step of the process to create new opportunities and value.

The programme is designed to enable learning and networking among wind turbine designers and manufacturers, wind farm owners and operators, energy industry professionals, environmental and sustainability experts, the academic and research community, government agencies and NGOs, and financial institutions and investors.

Further information

Follow on social media #EoLIS2023 #REFRESHprojectEU