The cranes moved in last year at Hagshaw Hill, Scotland’s oldest commercial wind farm.
They were there to continue the dismantling of wind turbines that had been generating electricity for the last 28 years.
A similar scene can be witnessed across the world as the first wave of wind turbines built in the late 1990s and early 2000s are decommissioned.
In the case of Hagshaw Hill, the existing turbines will be replaced with taller and more efficient ones that can generate up to 10 times more electricity.
But working out what to do with the old turbines is challenging.
Between 85 and 95% of a turbine’s materials, such as steel, aluminium, and copper, can be easily recycled, but the blades are a different matter.
Made of fibreglass they are covered with a tough epoxy resin, designed to withstand years of hammering by the elements.
These durable qualities make…
