9 February 2023
Vestas claims breakthrough in wind industry circularity
Vestas claims it has made a breakthrough in recycling epoxy-based wind turbine blades, which could be key to circularity in the wind industry. The fact that the breakthrough can be applied to blades in use and those that have already been discarded into landfills, means that it has large-scale potential. Traditionally, it has been thought that epoxy resin is difficult to recycle, but Vestas has now developed a chemical process that can break the epoxy resin down into virgin-grade materials. The solution is especially relevant because in the upcoming years thousands of wind turbines will be decommissioned or repowered, creating a sustainability challenge, but also value creation opportunities.
The chemical process was born out of the CETEC collaboration, which is a collaboration between industry companies and academics. Stena Recycling has been involved in developing the chemical process and, together with global epoxy manufacturer Olin, will support Vestas in developing the recycling value chain, scaling the process and commercialising.
Denmark's financial watchdog says eight sustainability funds in breach of EU disclosure rules
The Danish Financial Services Authority (FSA) has ordered the companies behind eight sustainability funds to take remedial action after finding out that they violated EU disclosure rules. The FSA states that the information provided about the funds sustainable objectives was too generic or "unclear, inconsistent and incomplete." The companies behind the eight sustainability funds are some of the Nordic’s biggest banks, such as Nordea and Danske Bank. The FSA's review began in June 2022, before new rules came into force requiring managers to provide more extensive information on the sustainability credentials of the funds they manage.
Orkla starts discussion with OX2 about hydrogen gas supply
OX2 and Orkla have started collaboration to investigate and plan hydrogen deliveries starting in 2025. Orkla, a consumer goods company, will replace their imported propane gas with two of OX2’s projects; locally produced hydrogen gas in Åland, and solar energy from their additional projects. In the long term, OX2 wants to produce hydrogen at its Mega Green Port in Åland (Nordic Green News discussed OX2's port project here).
PowerCell will now establish in the US
By establishing a local presence in the US, PowerCell, a Swedish hydrogen fuel cell company, will be able to better support its customers and help drive growth in the hydrogen electric market. The growing demand for hydrogen electric solutions and political initiatives to invest in green energy are driving the market development in the US, making the country an exciting and important market for PowerCell. “In the US there are many companies that are 'early enablers' of hydrogen electric solutions and thus important for the continued development and growth of our industry. By establishing ourselves locally, we get closer to our customers and can support them even better in their value creation,” commented the CEO of PowerCell, Richard Berkling.
Taaleri expanding to energy storage systems
Taaleri, Finland’s largest wind power producer, is expanding its operation to energy storage systems with its renewable energy business, Taaleri Energia. The company is investing in a 30 MW/36 MWh battery energy storage system in Lempäälä, and will support the balancing of Finland’s electricity production and consumption. Merus Power will be the developer of the project and also be responsible for the system’s delivery. The energy storage investment is part of the project development portfolio that Taaleri Energia has put together for its next fund, Taaleri SolarWind III, which is classified as a dark green fund – meaning that it will only make sustainable investments that contribute significantly to mitigating climate change.
What we’re reading
- EU considers push for fossil fuel phasedown ahead of COP28 (Reuters)
About Nordic Green News
The Nordic countries are some of the most dynamic and successful economies in the world. They are also leaders in sustainability, from renewable energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage and the hydrogen economy, circular economy business models and battery development, the Nordics are pioneers in policy design, technology development and consumer uptake. Mundus Nordic Green News is covering this transition for the international community. Every day we curate the stories of most relevance to international businesspeople and policy experts from the flow of news. Mundus Nordic Green Indices summarise the meta-data from our daily coverage to enable easy tracking of trends. We supplement these with our own opinion pieces and commentary.
Powered by Notified