To make the most of our resources, we’re looking at wind and solar farm design, material sourcing, how to use assets for longer – and how to ensure all renewable energy assets can be reused or recycled after we decommission them.
Why is circular resource use important?
As we work to deliver the global renewable energy build-out at the pace and scale needed, we have to use raw materials such as steel, concrete, and aluminium. Many of these resources are already scarce and under pressure, so it’s crucial that we embrace the principles of circularity and find ways to use less, for longer – and reuse what we can, again and again.
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By incorporating circular principles across our entire operating model, we work to eliminate waste and maximise the reuse and recycling of our key components and materials, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage nature to thrive.
The three main goals of our use of circularity are to reduce the use of emissions-intensive virgin materials, to ensure availability of critical raw materials, and to help ensure the renewable build-out happens in balance with nature by minimising the adverse environmental impacts that are related to extraction and processing of minerals and metals.
What are we doing?
Our newest renewable energy assets have an average expected lifetime of 30-35 years, and up to 90 % of the total weight of the materials used to build them can be recycled. But we know we can go further. We’re working on three key areas that we as a developer believe we can best support in the widespread adoption of circularity within the renewables industry and beyond.
Designing and sourcing our way to a lower footprint: 75 % of our carbon footprint related to offshore wind assets comes from extracting and processing construction materials – with steel alone accounting for 50 % of this figure. By optimising how we design offshore wind farms, and by increasing our use of components made from recycled materials, we can reduce our reliance on virgin resources.
Optimising how we use assets and key components: The longer we keep an asset or component in operation, the less time and energy we spend decommissioning and replacing it. With that in mind, we’re improving the way we repair, reuse, and repurpose assets and components so we can extend their lifetime. For example, we’re exploring ways to give older offshore assets an extra decade of life.
Ensuring recyclability of assets upon decommissioning: We’re continuously finding new ways to recycle our renewable energy assets so we can feed in materials from old assets into the production of new assets, close the material loop, and create a circular value chain. We’re getting closer to achieving this. And though we still face some challenges with regards to solar PV modules and wind turbine blades, we’ll keep working until we find the right solution.
How are we doing?
We aim to send no wind turbine blades to landfill and to divert as much as possible of the waste we produce from disposal.
Latest updates
In 2024, we partnered with Siemens Gamesa to incorporate recycled glass fibres from decommissioned wind turbine blades into 15-20 new blades for our Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms in Taiwan. This marked the industry's first successful recycling of materials from old wind turbine blades, integrating them into the production of new blades.
For more information, please see our annual report 2024, section ‘E5: Resource use and circular economy’.
Key information
Partnerships
We engage in cross-sector collaboration and initiatives to drive industry developments that support our strategic ambitions. Our key partners include:- Coalition for Wind Industry Circularity
- SolarCycle
- Plaswire
International frameworks
We follow and adhere to several international guidelines and principles for promoting circularity, including:
- EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) 2020
- EU Waste Framework Directive
Governance
Accountability lies with our Chief Operating Officer.