Department of Energy launches wind turbine recycling contest

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize.

This $5.1 million competition funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help the United States develop a cost-effective recycling industry for two important of materials used in wind turbines: fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements. By helping to create a circular wind energy economy, this prize will increase the sustainability of wind energy and support Biden’s goals of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050, the DOE says in a news release.  

“We need a sustainable and secure domestic wind energy supply chain to achieve our climate goals,” Alejandro Moreno, acting assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, says. “By creating new, cost-effective recycling streams for key wind turbine materials, this prize will help ensure wind energy can continue to rapidly expand across the United States.”

Photo courtesy of the Department of Energy and Veolia

About 85 percent to 90 percent of the mass of a wind turbine is made of materials that already can be commercially recycled, the DOE says. The bulk of the unrecycled materials is composed of fiber-reinforced composites (carbon fiber and fiberglass). These materials can be found in various forms in wind turbine blades, nacelle covers and the cover for the hub that connects the blades to the wind turbine. The wind energy industry also depends on critical minerals, such as rare earth elements (including the neodymium and dysprosium magnets used in generators), which do not currently have domestic commercial-scale recycling options, the DOE adds.

The DOE says wind energy as a power source likely will increase a great deal by 2050. The turbines usually last 30 years, but not even all the components last that long. Various parts require replacement throughout the life of the turbine, so recycling those raw materials plays a significant role in boosting the sustainability of wind as a power source.

This prize, which is part of DOE’s American-Made Challenges program, seeks to develop robust domestic recycling options for fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements, which can lessen the United States’ need to extract and process raw materials to meet this need. This benefits the environment, makes supply chains more resilient to price volatility and disruption and reduces dependence on foreign sources of these materials.

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The announcement marks the opening of the first of two phases in the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize. In the first phase, Initiate!, the DOE invites participants to present innovative technologies that have not been previously applied to recycling wind energy system materials and technologies that could substantially improve existing wind material recycling processes. During the second phase, Accelerate!, competitors will demonstrate prototypes of their technologies. In this phase, up to six teams will be selected to each receive a cash prize of $500,000 and vouchers to work with DOE national laboratories valued at $100,000.

The competition is open to private for-profit and nonprofit organizations, nonfederal government entities, academic institutions and individuals that meet all eligibility requirements listed in the official rules.

Applications for Phase 1 are due  Sept. 29 by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The DOE anticipates awarding $75,000 cash prizes to up to 20 applicants in Phase 1.

Those interested in competing can register for the informational webinar Aug. 3, at 1 p.m. Eastern. 

The Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize is led by the Wind Energy Technologies Office in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.