A 2023 report from the Texas Comptroller’s Office shows that wind energy is only second to natural gas when it comes to energy production in the state. Since then, a new wind farm in Wharton County opened in May 2024, which produces 160 megawatts of power that’s sent right into the Texas grid. But critics claim that this form of green energy is not so green at all.
In its simplest form, wind turbine blades are made of recyclable materials. But it’s the outer resin that makes it extremely difficult to recycle these blades using traditional methods. So many parts of retired turbines end up in massive landfills referred to as “windmill graveyards.”
But a research group at the University of Houston has figured out how to give these once unrecyclable blades a second life through upcycling practices. That’s when you take an old material, repurpose it, and create something new. For wind turbines, this prevents them from ending up in landfills and extends their lifespan by 20 to 50 years…