The ZEBRA (Zero wastE Blade ReseArch) project, driven by French research center IRT Jules Verne, brings together industrial companies and technical centers to demonstrate on a full scale the technical, economic and environmental relevance of thermoplastic wind turbine blades, with an eco-design approach to facilitate recycling.
The project has been launched for a period of 42 months with a budget of €18.5 million. Parftners in the project are Arkema, Canoe, LM Windpower, Engie and Owens Corning.
Within the ZEBRA project, LM Wind Power will design the product, process and manufacture two prototype blades using Arkema’s Elium resin, in order to test and validate the behavior of the composite material and its feasibility for industrial production. In parallel, the ZEBRA project partners will focus on developing and optimizing the manufacturing process by using automation, to reduce energy consumption and waste from production. Project partners will then explore methods to recycle the materials used in the prototype blades into new products. Finally, a life cycle analysis will assess the environmental and economic viability of further utilizing the thermoplastic material in future wind turbine blades.