Swedish power company Vattenfall -- which is committed to recycling all of its dismantled wind turbine blades by 2030 -- is lining up partnerships to turn turbine blades into skis, snowboards, and construction materials for solar farms, thus contributing to a new circular economy. Norwegian company Gjenkraft has developed a recycling technology that uses the glass and carbon fiber to create skis and snowboards. The company says the process is complicated because the blades often contain balsa wood, PVC, PET foam, and other polymers and metals. BillionPeople, a Dutch company that recycles rotor and wind turbine blades to create materials for building solar farms, has developed new duro-plastics for solar panels that can replace steel and aluminum. Both use a lot of energy to produce and are scarce due to the conflict in Ukraine. A Dutch college which trains students for airport and logistic services, aviation technology, and travel and hospitality, has also received old wind turbine blades to use in its courses.
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