The very first sound barrier made from recycled wind turbine blades, the Blade Barrier, was unveiled today at the Innovation Strip of Rijkswaterstaat along the A58 near the Kloosters rest area in Oirschot. This Dutch world premiere is a test setup of 60 m in length that will be monitored and tested for performance until the end of 2026.
Modular and Sustainable
The sound barrier consists of 2 whole blades and a sawn part. This allows all common connections to be tested for feasibility and sound reduction performance. The blades require little foundation compared to conventional sound barriers. By placing them in an earth slope, a minimum height of 3 m can be easily guaranteed. With this test setup, we demonstrate the sound performance, feasibility, maintenance, and Environmental Cost Indicator (MKI) to potentially apply it to other locations in the Netherlands and beyond, given convincing evidence. In a circular economy, it is preferred that wind turbine blades from decommissioned wind farms are reused in the same region.
The Mission of Blade-Made
The Blade Barrier is an initiative of Blade-Made, a startup with the mission to give the large stream of difficult-to-recycle wind turbine blades from decommissioned wind farms a useful second life as secondary building material. The company focuses on developing objects that can contain large quantities of wind turbine blades and are scalable. To this end, the company collaborates with partners in various markets.
Tonny Wormer, co-founder of Blade-Made: ‘Wind energy is sustainable energy and we call on the wind sector to also take their role in the decommissioning and processing of residual materials. It is great to develop circular ecosystems in the market, like with the Blade Barrier. But the wind sector will also have to take risks and contribute to the costs and possibly share in the revenues.’
Transformation of Sustainable Objects
The Rijkswaterstaat project team InnovA58 participates in the Blade Barrier test setup project with location, knowledge, and financial input. This effort aligns with the ambition to transform into sustainable infrastructure objects. Marc van Enk, Project Manager InnovA58: ‘The innovation strip is the testing ground for innovations within the domain of Rijkswaterstaat. We are already looking forward to welcoming experts and international colleagues here.’
That is also affirmed by deputy Stijn Smeulders (Urban Development and Mobility) of the province of North Brabant. Thanks to a subsidy for ‘circular breakthrough projects’, the province made the budget feasible. ‘With 20,000 km, we have the most extensive road network in the Netherlands,’ says Smeulders. ‘That offers plenty of opportunities for innovation. For example, in Drimmelen, the longest solar bike path in the world is located, where energy is generated on the asphalt. The opening of the Blade Barrier is a beautiful next step in that story, where we explore how our infrastructure, sustainability, and energy can further strengthen each other.’
Together Towards Zero Emissions
Builder Dura Vermeer has been involved in the development and realization of the Blade Barrier from the beginning and has invested in making the test setup possible. Director at Dura Vermeer Jaap Hulshoff: ‘Our ambition is to work net zero by 2030. Blade Barrier can make a good contribution to our goal of reducing CO2 emissions and primary raw material use, thanks to its main component of reused wind turbine blades combined with a lightweight construction. Together we are heading towards zero emissions.’