Startups Upcycle Turbine Blades to Solve Wind’s Waste Problem

When a wind turbine reaches the end of its life cycle, roughly 85% of its components — including the steel tower, copper wire and gearing — can be recycled. Turbine blades, however, have proven a more intractable challenge.

Made primarily from fiberglass, these blades lack the metals and minerals that attract recyclers. They’re also coated with epoxy resins that make them particularly difficult to crush. As a result, most retired turbine blades end up incinerated or in landfills.

That’s a problem for an industry that’s growing rapidly, adding more wind power — and making more blades — every year. Roughly ...