Report Indicates U.S. Ability To Recycle 90% of Wind Turbine Mass
Jan. 6, 2025

The research reveals that existing U.S. infrastructure could process 90% of the mass of decommissioned wind turbines while innovations work to address the remaining 10%. Photo from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
A team of researchers, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, developed a report, titled Recycling Wind Energy Systems in the United States Part 1: Providing a Baseline for America’s Wind Energy Recycling Infrastructure for Wind Turbines and Systems, which provides an assessment of research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) needs and gaps in existing wind energy-related supply chains to support more recycling and reuse in the U.S. wind energy industry.
Among other findings, the research reveals that existing U.S. infrastructure could process 90% of the mass of decommissioned wind turbines. However, the remaining 10% will need new strategies and innovative recycling methods in the wind energy industry. This research will help guide over $20 million in funding previously announced from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to advance technologies that address this gap.
The first of a suite of reports, this part provides the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office with short-, medium-, and long-term RD&D priorities along the life cycle of wind energy systems.