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ManInKilt t1_j9yp8rz wrote

Because turbines are actually kind of terrible. Maintenance intensive, takes a lot to produce, can't recycle the blades when they wear out so they just get buried, expensive.... All around not worth the squeeze. But they look good and green so people do it anyway

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heartshapedpox t1_j9z22sn wrote

Recycling alternatives are actively being developed, for what it's worth:

"The good news is that some efforts at developing alternatives are underway. Two large utilities in the US, PacificCorp and MidAmerican Energy, for example, have recently announced plans to partner with the Tennessee company Carbon Rivers to recycle some of the utilities spent turbine blades instead of landfilling them. The technology used by Carbon Rivers is being supported through grant funding by the US Department of Energy and will be used to break down and reuse fiberglass from used turbine blades."

Source: https://blog.ucsusa.org/james-gignac/wind-turbine-blades-recycling/

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