Parking garage built with decommissioned rotor blades in Sweden
Recycling rotor blades from wind turbines is complex. Vattenfall donated 57 old rotors to be used in a parking garage facade.
The V-shaped facade elements of the parking garage were created from old rotor blades.
(Image: Vattenfall)
The architect Jonas Lloyd, commissioned by the parking management company Lunds kommunala parkeringsbolag (LKP), has constructed a parking garage in the Brunnshög district on the outskirts of the southern Swedish city of Lund, using old rotor blades from wind turbines. The parking garage comprises 365 parking spaces on five floors, including 40 charging stations for electric cars and a storage battery for solar power, as LKP announced on Monday. The Danish energy company Vattenfall has provided a total of 57 rotor blades for the construction project and no longer has to recycle the difficult-to-dispose-of rotor blades themselves.
Lloyd came up with the idea of using old wind rotors in a building after reading in a magazine about the problems of the US wind industry in recycling decommissioned rotor blades. The issue is that the rotors are mostly made of several composite materials, such as glass and carbon fiber. This is the only way they can maintain their flexible structure over years and at the same time withstand harsh weather and usage conditions. However, composite materials are difficult to separate from each other – especially given the enormous size of the rotors. This represents a high effort and costs a lot of money.
Rotor blades for the parking garage facade
Lloyd uses the rotor blades in the facade of the parking garage. The rotors were used to create a curtain facade with V-shaped elements. The rotor elements have no structural function. The rest of the building is constructed in a conventional, sustainable manner. Bee-friendly plants are also integrated into the facade. Solar collectors are located on the roof, which additionally supply the parking garage with electricity and store energy in a battery to charge electric vehicles parked at night.
Vattenfall has long been interested in utilizing possibilities for recycling old wind turbines. The energy company has committed itself not to landfill used rotors. By 2030, the company aims to recycle 100 percent of its wind blades. In some cases, the rotors are resold. For example, they can be used as frames for solar collectors or as insulation material. Ski production is also possible.
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LKP can imagine using old rotor blades in future projects as well. To this end, the company has launched a competition where suggestions for the use of decommissioned rotors can be made.
(olb)
