New Energy And The Circular Economy

Breathing new life into renewable energy; Green technology has come a long way. The next challenge for the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory is to develop ways to recycle the recycling infrastructure.

October 9, 2019 (Scientific American)

“…Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are working on ways to minimize waste from New Energy like replaced wind turbine blades and batteries and move] towards a circular economy, a world where waste is eliminated and materials are used again and again…[They are working on cutting-edge materials that can be] recaptured for use in the next (usually better) iteration…One promising idea is to fashion [wind turbine] blades from thermoplastics, which can be molded when heated but harden when cooled. Thermoplastic blades could be created on-site and could be melted down and repurposed at the end of their usable lives…

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…[Chemists are] working on processes to make recycled plastic as strong, or stronger, than the original…Moving to a circular economy can take a long time. Pairing government scientists with large corporations offers a way to speed up the process…[The scientists say the next five to ten years will be crucial to the emergence of new business models that can use the] huge potential to do more…” click here for more

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