DreamWind - Designing REcyclable Advanced Materials for WIND energy

The ever-increasing energy consumption places high demands on the production of
green energy. This in addition to the increasing strain on the world's resources,
requires reconsidering of the choice of materials used in the wind industry. The
strong green profile makes Denmark a pioneer in sustainable and innovative
production. To continue this tradition, Denmark has in a partnership with Ellen
MacArthur Foundation focused on circular economy to further promote sustainable
production. The principle behind circular economy is to optimize the use of the
world’s resources by keeping materials as high value resources for as long as
possible creating value far beyond end-of-life of the product.
To fully embrace circular economy in the wind industry, it is necessary to overcome
the lack of recyclability of wind turbine blades. The DreamWind project is a
collaboration between Vestas, Aarhus University and the Danish Technological
Institute aiming at the development of novel recyclable composite materials for
future wind turbine blades. These new composite materials will be developed in a
circular economic framework where recyclability is achieved using smart
components that can be disassembled at end-of-life of the turbine. The project will
secure Vestas' position as the world leader in wind energy, while ensuring
Denmark's position as a leading knowledge society in circular economy and
sustainable production. Furthermore, DreamWind will, as a showcase project, help
pave the way for other Danish production industries to adapt circular economy in
their production, thereby optimizing their use of resources.