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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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Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, has died

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Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, has died

Quincy Jones, the music producer and composer, has died at the age of 91.

Jones worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and many other artists.

Among his best-known credits was as the producer of Jackson’s historic Thriller album.

Jones oversaw the all-star recording of the 1985 charity record We Are The World.

He also composed the soundtrack to the hit 1969 British film The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine.

Pic:  Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch /IPX/AP

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones attend 26th Annual Grammy Awards on February 28, 1984 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch /IPX
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Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. Pic: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch /IPX/AP

Supermodels Naomi Campbell, left, and Claudia Schiffer flank music impresario Quincy Jones at New York's Fashion Cafe Wednesday, July 5, 1995, during a party to welcome new investor in the Fashion Cafe - supermodel Christy Turlington. Owner Tomasso Buti announced the planned opening of Fashion Cafe London in the summer of 1996, at a news conference earlier in the evening. (AP Photo/Paul Hurschmann)
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Naomi Campbell, left, and Claudia Schiffer flank Quincy Jones. Pic: AP

His publicist, Arnold Robinson, confirmed Jones died at his Los Angeles home on Sunday surrounded by his family.

In a statement, his family said: “Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’s passing.

“And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Grammy winners Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie pose together backstage at the Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles, on February 26, 1986. (AP Photo)
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Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. Pic: AP

Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton Circa 1980's. Pic: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch /IPX/AP
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Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton. Pic: Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch /IPX/AP

His family added Jones was “truly one of a kind” who they would “miss dearly”.

“We take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created,” they added.

“Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’s heart will beat for eternity.”

His career, which spans more than 75 years, saw him achieve 28 Grammy award wins out of 80 nominations.

He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by Time magazine.

Lionel Richie, who co-wrote We Are The World and was among the charity single’s featured singers, called Jones “the master orchestrator”.

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Jones, a father of seven, was married three times to Jeri Caldwell, Ulla Andersson and Peggy Lipton.

His children include music producer Quincy Jones III and actress Rashida Jones, known for Parks And Recreation and the US version of The Office.

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Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek shares he has bowel cancer

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Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek shares he has bowel cancer

Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek has said he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The 47-year-old American actor – famous for his role as Dawson Leery in the drama series – told US outlet People on Sunday that he has colorectal cancer.

Bowel cancer – sometimes also called colorectal cancer – starts in the colon or the rectum, which makes up the large intestine in the digestive system.

It is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK, with around 42,900 people diagnosed each year.

Speaking to People, Van Der Beek added: “I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family.

“There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”

 James Van Der Beek. Pic: Columbia Tristar/Everett/Shutterstock
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The 47-year-old actor is best known for playing Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek. Pic: Columbia Tristar/Everett/Shutterstock

He said he has been prioritising time with his wife Kimberly Van Der Beek and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

The actor – also known for his roles in Don’t Trust The B—- In Apartment 23, CSI: Cyber, and the FX drama Pose – also posted on Instagram about his diagnosis.

Read more:
Music titan Quincy Jones dies
Dawson’s Creek star Obi Ndefo dies aged 51
Foodie describes life without tongue after mouth cancer

Van Der Beek said he planned on “planned on talking about it at length with People magazine at some point soon,” but instead announced the news on Sunday morning “when I was informed that a tabloid was going to run with the news”.

He then added: “I’ve been dealing with this privately until now, getting treatment and dialling in my overall health with greater focus than ever before.

“I’m in a good place and feeling strong. It’s been quite the initiation, and I’ll tell you more when I’m ready.”

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In December, Van Der Beek will appear in the Fox special The Real Full Monty, which will see male celebrities strip naked to raise awareness for prostate, testicular, and colorectal cancer testing and research.

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Margot Robbie welcomes first child – reports

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Margot Robbie welcomes first child - reports

Margot Robbie has reportedly given birth to her first child.

The Australian actress has welcomed a baby boy with her husband, British actor and film producer Tom Ackerley, according to People magazine.

The couple have not publicly announced the arrival or revealed the baby’s name.

The 34-year-old actress went into labour two weeks ago, shortly before her due date, according to the Mail On Sunday.

(L-R) Tom Ackerley, film producer Bronte Payne, Robbie and Josey McNamara. Pic: Reuters
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(L-R) Tom Ackerley, film producer Bronte Payne, Robbie and Josey McNamara. Pic: Reuters

Robbie’s pregnancy became public in July, when the couple were pictured on holiday in Italy, followed by several red carpet appearances.

Robbie and Ackerley married in Byron Bay in 2016 after meeting three years previously on the set of World War II drama Suite Francaise.

Prior to becoming a couple, Robbie described herself as the “ultimate single gal” in an interview with Vogue.

She said Ackerley changed all that, and after being friends “for so long,” eventually “it happened”.

The Barbie actress went on to say their relationship “makes so much sense, the way nothing has ever made sense before”.

Margot Robbie and her husband Tom Ackerley. Pic: Reuters
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Robbie and Ackerley met in 2013. Pic: Reuters

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Robbie and Ackerley founded production company LuckyChap Entertainment in 2014, along with British assistant director Josey McNamara and Australian film producer Sophie Kerr.

Championing female-focused film and TV, it has been involved with movies including Barbie and Saltburn, and the Netflix series Maid.

Sky News has reached out to representatives for Robbie and Ackerley for comment.

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