Developing a cost-effective and sustainable recycling industry for fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements in wind turbines
In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) launched the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize.
This $5.1 million competition is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law under the American-Made Challenges program to help the United States develop a cost-effective recycling industry for two important materials used in wind turbines: fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements.
The competition is split into two phases. In the first phase, 20 winners are announced in January 2024 and awarded a total of $1.5 million. with each receiving $75,000.
In phase two, the final six winners of the competition are announced in September 2024 and awarded a total of $3.6 million. Each winning team receiving $500,000 in cash prizes and vouchers valued at $100,000 to work with DOE national laboratories to advance their recycling technologies.
About 85%–90% of the mass of a wind turbine is made of materials that can already be commercially recycled. This prize aims 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).
Winning technologies include solutions for recycling rare earth elements and reusing fiber-reinforced composites, supporting environmental goals and strengthening domestic supply chains.
By helping to create a circular wind energy economy, this prize will increase the sustainability of wind energy and support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of achieving a carbon-pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
This initiative will reduce the U.S.’s reliance on extracting raw materials and importing critical resources, thereby stabilizing domestic supply chains and minimizing environmental impact.
Winners of phase two ‘Accelerate!’ announced
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize, awarding six teams $500,000 each, plus $100,000 in lab support, to advance cost-effective wind turbine recycling technologies.
The six winning teams, who come from five states, demonstrated that their prototypes have exceptional potential as full-scale technologies that will enhance the wind recycling industry.
“These winning teams presented innovative technology ideas that exemplify the creative, problem-solving skills we need to build a highly sustainable wind turbine recycling industry,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “On top of that, these domestic recycling solutions enhance our energy security by reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign materials.”
The Accelerate! Phase Two winners are:
- Cimentaire (Houston, Texas)
- Critical Materials Recycling (Boone, Iowa)
- Fletcher Team (Huntington, West Virginia)
- GreenTex Solutions, LLC (Charleston, South Carolina)
- United Standard Materials Corporation (Houston, Texas)
- WIND REWIND (Orono, Maine).
The DOE’s initiative aligns with broader sustainability goals by ensuring wind turbines can be decommissioned economically and with reduced environmental impact.
Follow the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize on HeroX, the official competition platform, to learn more about the winning submissions.
The Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize is funded by DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office. It is part of DOE’s American-Made Challenges program and is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
