Siemens Gamesa has started the production of the first 108-metre wind turbine blade at its factory in Hull.
Last year Siemens Gamesa invested £82 million into the construction of their renewable energy’s two blade manufacturing facilities in the UK, as well as on repurposing their existing factory at the wind turbine supplier’s site in Hull.
In a social media post Siemens Gamesa said:
”Over the past year, we’ve doubled output at the Hull facility, allowing our team to scale up manufacturing and produce these spectacular blades for the SG 14-222 DD turbine.”
Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit said:
”Siemens Gamesa has made the largest investments in the UK offshore wind supply chain, with our Hull facility as the centerpiece… We continue to appreciate the support from the UK government in this development.”
Siemens Gamesa’s breakthrough recyclable blade, is also now being manufactured in Hull.
According to reports, 85% of a wind turbine could be recycled, including steel, cement, copper wire, electronics and gearing. However, up until recently the actual blades could not due to the technology required to deal with the composite materials they are made from to create a “strong and flexible lightweight structure.”
However, Siemens Gamesa has come up with a solution. It says certain blades manufactured in Hull will now allow materials used in the manufacturing process to be separated at the end of a blade’s lifetime to be recycled into new applications.
Billed as a world first, the energy group describes it as a “crucial step” towards its goal of making turbines fully recyclable by 2040.
Siemens Gamesa CEO Andreas Nauen said:
“The time to tackle climate emergency is now, and we need to do it in a holistic way.
“In pioneering wind circularity – where elements contribute to a circular economy of the wind industry – we have reached a major milestone in a society that puts care for the environment at its heart.
“The recyclable blade is another tangible example of how Siemens Gamesa is leading technological development in the wind industry.”
The B108 IntegralBlades are one of the key components of Siemens Gamesa’s flagship offshore wind turbine – the SG 14-222 DD.
