Abstract
To achieve a climate-neutral Europe by 2050, energy must be generated from renewable energy sources with installations and operations that fit within a circular economy. This requires a transition in wind energy from linear to circular material use, with a special focus on eliminating (production) waste and reusing and recycling of wind turbine blades. The aim of this study, as part of the Horizon Europe project EoLO-HUBs, is to identify the challenges in circular End-of-Life (EoL) solutions for wind turbine blades. First, an inventory is made of all possible EoL routings and solutions with a prediction of future blade designs, materials and volumes. Next, the impact on costs and environment is analyzed for two Dutch offshore wind farm EoL scenarios. Finally, the Dutch public’s perception is studied in detail to provide insights for socially aware decision-making in the blade EoL process.