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Siemens Gamesa has launched what it claims is the world’s first recyclable offshore wind turbine blade. The “RecyclableBlade” is ready for commercial use offshore, and Siemens Gamesa has already made agreements with three customers.

Recyclable offshore wind turbine blade

The Spanish renewable company’s first six 266-feet-long (81-meter-long) RecyclableBlades have been produced at its blade factory in Aalborg, Denmark.

This announcement is a big step toward Siemens Gamesa’s goal to make turbines fully recyclable by 2040.

Siemens Gamesa is working closely with German energy company RWE to install and pilot RecyclableBlades at the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany, which should be working from 2022. It’s also working with France-based EDF Renewables to deploy several sets of RecyclableBlade at a future offshore project. And finally, it’s working with Germany’s WPD with the intention to install sets of the RecyclableBlade at one of their future offshore wind farms.

How it works

According to Siemens Gamesa:

Siemens Gamesa wind turbine blades are made from a combination of materials cast together with resin to form a strong and flexible lightweight structure. The chemical structure of this new resin type makes it possible to efficiently separate the resin from the other components at end of the blade’s working life. This mild process protects the properties of the materials in the blade, in contrast to other existing ways of recycling conventional wind turbine blades.

So, once it’s time to recycle the blade, it’s immersed into a heated, mild acidic solution, which will separate the resin from the fiberglass, plastic, wood, and metals. The separated materials can then be recovered, rinsed, and dried.

The materials are now ready to be used in new products matching their technical properties, such as in the auto industry, or in consumer goods such as flight cases and flatscreen casings.

Check out this short video that illustrates the blades and the recycling process:

YouTube Poster

Electrek’s Take

85% of a wind turbine is already recyclable, but until this breakthrough, it has been inherently difficult to recycle the wind turbine blades in a cost-efficient way.

What to do with wind turbine blades after their life cycle ends has been a point of contention in this rapidly growing clean energy sector. Blade recycling will avoid a lot of landfill.

According to Siemens Gamesa, more than 200,000 blades could now be recycled, based on all new offshore projects globally projected until 2050. That’s a great leap forward for the wind industry. And the really cool thing is that the company is capable of recycling the blades now.

Read more: Siemens spin-offs to develop offshore wind turbines that produce green hydrogen

Photo: Siemens Gamesa


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Rolex stolen from Keanu Reeves’s LA home found in Chile, according to police

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Rolex stolen from Keanu Reeves's LA home found in Chile, according to police

A Rolex stolen from John Wick star Keanu Reeves has been found in Chile, according to police in the South American country.

The watch, which is believed to have been taken from the Hollywood actor in Los Angeles in December 2023, was discovered after an arrest linked to crimes in the nation’s capital Santiago.

Pictures posted online by the Investigations Police of Chile show an engraving on the back of the Rolex Submariner, which says: “The John Wick Five. Keanu Thank You JW4 2021.”

Rolex Submariners were reportedly given to members of the team that filmed the fourth instalment of the franchise, including stuntmen.

Police said jewels, valuable watches and other items were seized including “a watch from a famous film actor, victim of a robbery in Los Angeles (USA) in December 2023”.

A police official confirmed the Rolex belonged to The Matrix star Reeves in a television interview with Chilean broadcaster TVN and said they were working with Los Angeles police to get it back to him.

Los Angeles police told Sky News’ US bureau that the burglary investigation is ongoing and that there were no further updates.

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Reeves’s representatives have also been contacted for comment.

Read more from Sky News:
Jolie and Pitt agree divorce deal
Veteran radio star dies aged 79

His Los Angeles home was targeted by masked burglars in December 2023 while he was not there, according to TMZ.

The celebrity news site reported a firearm was taken, but it was not clear if anything else was stolen in the raid.

In February 2023, Reeves was granted a restraining order against a man who allegedly made a number of unwanted visits to his home – including going to sleep in his back garden.

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reach divorce settlement after eight years

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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt reach divorce settlement after eight years

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a settlement after eight years in one of the longest and most bitter divorces in Hollywood history.

In a statement, Jolie’s attorney James Simon said: “More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr Pitt.

“She and the children left all of the properties they had shared with Mr Pitt, and since that time she has focused on finding peace and healing for their family.

“This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago.

“Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over.”

No court documents have been filed yet, and a judge will need to sign off on the agreement.

Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were one of Hollywood’s most prominent couples for 12 years. The two Oscar winners have six children together.

The Maleficent star filed for divorce in 2016, following a private jet flight from Europe during which she said Pitt was abusive towards her and their children.

In 2019, a judge declared them divorced and single, but the settling of their assets and child custody had to be decided separately.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Liam Payne: Five charged in connection with death of One Direction star, as judge details his final moments

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Liam Payne: Five charged in connection with death of One Direction star, as judge details his final moments

Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Argentina.

Three people have been charged with negligent homicide and two have been charged with supplying drugs, the Argentinian Public Prosecutor’s Office said.

The 31-year-old pop star died after he fell from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on 16 October.

Negligent homicide – similar to gross negligent manslaughter in the UK – carries a sentence of one to five years, while supplying drugs carries a sentence of up to 15 years.

Roger Nores, described as a “representative” of Payne, was one of those charged with negligent homicide, alongside hotel manager Gilda Martin and receptionist Esteban Grassi.

A hotel employee, Ezequiel Pereyra, and waiter, Braian Paiz, have been charged with supplying drugs on two occasions.

All five have been summoned to appear in court.

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A statement from the judge and public prosecutor today said Payne had been “demanding” drugs and alcohol during his stay at the hotel.

On the 16 December, Payne was in the hotel lobby and “unable to stand” due to the “consumption of various substances”, the court document said.

The receptionist and two others “dragged” the singer to his room, and the manager allowed this to happen “at least by omission”.

Given Payne’s “altered” consciousness and the access to a balcony from the room, the “proper thing to do was to leave him in a safe place and with company until a doctor arrived”, according to the judge.

They also accused Payne’s representative, Nores, of leaving Payne on his own in the hotel in a “state of vulnerability”, despite knowing about Payne’s previous addiction problems and that the fact Nores could “not trust that the rest of the hotel staff would act appropriately”.

The judge described Payne’s death as “foreseeable”.

The prosecutor’s office previously ruled out self-harm as a factor in the One Direction star’s death, and said he did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself from the fall, meaning it can be inferred he may have fallen “in a state of semi or total unconsciousness”.

The new document today reiterated the hypothesis that Payne had “tried to leave the room through the balcony and thus fell”.

The results of toxicology tests revealed that before his death, Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his body.

According to the post-mortem examination, Payne died from “multiple” injuries and internal and external bleeding.

Argentine investigators found what appeared to be narcotics and alcohol strewn around broken objects and furniture in Payne’s hotel room, leading the public prosecution to surmise he had suffered a substance abuse-induced breakdown around the time of his fall.

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