The last turbine of RWE’s Kaskasi wind farm has now been installed 35 kilometers north of the island of Heligoland. As operator RWE reports, more than two thirds of the total of 38 wind turbines are already feeding electricity into the grid. The entire wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of the year. According to RWE, Kaskasi will then be able to supply a major city like Frankfurt am Main.
Rotor blades have so far been difficult to recycle
RWE’s sixth offshore wind farm offers two special technical features: On the one hand, the world’s first recyclable rotor blades rotate. Siemens Gamesa’s recyclable blade uses a new type of resin with a special chemical structure that allows the materials used in the blade to be separated. According to RWE, it is therefore possible to reuse them, for example in the automotive industry or in consumer goods such as suitcases or flat screen cases.
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To date, rotor blades have been the biggest challenge in the dismantling and recycling of wind turbines. The composite materials used in the blades are resin cast and are therefore very difficult to separate at the end of their useful life. Therefore, incineration alone is usually the only option.
Second novelty: monopiles with collar
In addition, special steel collars were placed around three single-pile foundations on the seabed. The so-called “collar monopile” was designed on the basis of a patent developed by RWE. Each of the steel collars is seven meters high and weighs 170 tons. Not only are they designed to provide additional support in the event of lateral loads, but also to increase the overall bearing capacity of single pile foundations. (kW)
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With collar or XXL? Special monopiles are installed offshore.
Rotor blade, recyclable from production waste until after end of use
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