Renewable Energy Infrastructure: Refurbishment and Reuse in Solar and Wind Installations
By Lou Farrell
Renewable energy infrastructure adoption is accelerating each year, as solar prices become more accessible and technologies advance. However, relying exclusively on new materials could strip lands of natural resources, including precious metals and other hard-to-find elements. Adapting renewable technology manufacturing infrastructure to leverage reused and refurbished materials is key to long-term use and greater overall sustainability.
The Sustainability Benefits of Reusing and Refurbishing Renewable Energy Infrastructure
Renewable energy is a well-established concept, but modern traction has picked up since the 1970s, particularly for wind and solar. This makes some of the generators in the U.S. already defunct or well past their expected lifespan of 20 to 30 years. Sending everything from polycrystalline panels to turbine blades to landfills could give them another life by cycling them back into manufacturing.
Experts seek a closed-loop approach to further reduce expenses and waste generation, especially to reduce carbon emissions and pollution. An estimated 90% of old solar panels end up as waste because of the high cost of recycling them.
Without repurposing methods, there could also be 2.2 million metric tons of wind turbine equipment in landfills by 2050. Reducing landfill waste and eliminating countless electronic, metal, and chemical pollutants from habitats are essential for wildlife preservation and public health, among other sustainability benefits.
Although refurbishment and reuse may entail high up-front installation costs, the long-term savings will support local economies and consistent renewable energy development. Used capital parts will have lower embodied carbon and will become more affordable by using fewer virgin materials.
They also facilitate a circular economy to advance sustainable initiatives. Working with diverse parts from various manufacturers and time periods can also help experts improve their skills in repairs, diagnostics, and logistics.
How Refurbishment Happens in the Solar Industry
Many solar panel components are reusable, including panels, inverters, mounting racks, and more. Photovoltaic (PV) panels typically operate for up to 30 years and continue to function. They are no longer able to operate at maximum capacity as they age — much like a battery. Median degradation rates are around 1% annually, meaning there is still plenty of power left at the end of its expected life.
However, a PV panel with 70% capacity is still worth deploying as a refurbished model, well-tested and clean for reassembly. This would be ideal for lower-power applications, such as solar water pumps, RVs, and microgrids, as a supplementary generator. Even broken aluminum frames and cracked glass can still be refashioned into repair parts.
Inverters are another opportunity. They have a shorter life than PV panels, and many original equipment manufacturers have gone out of business, jeopardizing support. This urgency has made existing companies get creative, especially as inverters have failed before reaching the end of their lifespans due to severe weather damage.
However, experts suggest that a large-scale change is needed to make inverter repowering viable, and that will require legislation.
How Wind Installations Have Changed With Equipment Reuse
The giant blades, steel towers, and gearboxes are only a few components that refurbishers and recyclers need to consider when refurbishing wind turbines. Their size makes tackling these projects prohibitively expensive and time-consuming, yet it is possible and valuable, especially given the future of wind.
The potential for small-scale and offshore generation is immense, requiring even more resources to expand renewable energy infrastructure.
Turbine blades are intricately made, and recycling them is complicated because of their complex composition. A single blade could contain fiberglass, plastic, and resin, among other materials. Repurposing the blades requires more ingenuity and potentially cycling them into other industries.
For example, the Re-Wind Network used old blades to create pedestrian bridges in Ireland, using the old parts as the girders. While these may not have been reused in the renewable energy sector, such projects prove that many decommissioned components still have a long life ahead.
Co-processing is another strategy. This novel method tears the blades down and uses them to supplement cement production, helping reduce carbon emissions in another of the world’s most intensive and destructive industries. Even the polymers in the blades can be used as fuel, further lowering the carbon footprint of concrete manufacturing.
Finally, nacelles, gearboxes, and towers need more avenues for equipment reuse. They contain expensive, difficult-to-source metals. Remanufacturing is the best approach for these components, including generators. This industry could yield significant savings, as parts could cost 40% to 60% less than when new.
When redesigning them for refurbishment, engineers could also consider modularity, making them more straightforward to replace while prioritizing interoperability and compatibility across equipment manufacturers.
A Circular Path for Renewable Energy
The market for recycled and refurbished renewable energy infrastructure is barely leveraged. Tapping into these resources will make it easier for citizens and businesses to access green technologies while having a positive impact on the environment. Lower carbon emissions, reduced habitat destruction, and expanded deployment potential will have both short- and long-term boons for the planet and its people.
Lou Farrell
Lou is the Senior Editor of sustainability and technology for Revolutionized Magazine. He has
over 4 years of experience crafting compelling articles on a variety of topics, from energy
efficiency trends to eco-friendly construction. He loves to write, and is passionate about sharing
his knowledge with others.
