Subsidy-Free Wind Farms and Recyclable Blades – Two Exciting New Developments in The Offshore Industry

The offshore windfarm industry is gathering pace around the world as the race to increase the use of renewable energy sources becomes ever-more urgent. As a result, new developments are emerging all the time, and August 2022 has seen two exciting sector projects hitting new milestones.

The first new development involves the introduction of recyclable wind turbine technology to the sector. The arrival of fully recyclable turbine blades means that the sector can reduce its carbon footprint still further and do even more to combat climate change through the use of sustainable materials. Furthermore, subsidy-free wind farming has also seen a boost with the first power already being generated in the Dutch North Sea by what is set to become the biggest subsidy-free offshore wind farm anywhere in the world.

Siemens, one of the best-known names in the industry, has recently developed recyclable turbine blades and put them into use at the German Kaskasi offshore wind farm. August 2022 saw the first power being generated by Seimens’ first Gamesa wind turbine to be equipped with the new technology – a move that represents a world first.

The Kaskasi offshore wind farm currently has 9 turbines, although eventually there will be 38 in total, and a number of these units will be equipped with recyclable blades. Each blade will be 81 metres in length, but the technology will also be made available for 108 metre-long blades and 115 metre-long blades too.

Made from combined materials that are embedded in resin, the blades are stiff and strong while still being fully recyclable at the end of their useful lifespan. The fiberglass, wood, and resin that make up the blades will be separated out with a mildly acidic solution before returning the materials into the circular economy to create new sustainable products without using raw resources.

Europe has seen another exciting development in the offshore energy sector in August 2022 – in Holland, the first ever subsidy-free offshore windfarm in the world began generating its first power.

The Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, owned by Allianz, BASF, and Vattenfall, is located around 18km-35km off the coastline between Zandvoort and The Hague in the Dutch North Sea, and, although not yet fully operational, has already hit this impressive milestone. Its turbines may still be in the testing phase, but they have already started to produce energy that is being transferred back to shore where it is then being fed to the Dutch power grid.

36 wind turbines have so far been installed, being transported from the Port of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2 facility and installed by the Wind Osprey – Cadeler’s installation vessel. The project is set for completion in March 2023 and, when it becomes fully operational, the wind farm will be the biggest subsidy-free project of its type anywhere around the globe, comprising no less than 140 turbines.