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American-Made Challenges

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Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize

Developing a cost-effective and sustainable recycling industry for fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements in wind turbines

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stage:
Winners Announced
prize:
$5,100,000

This challenge is closed

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Summary
Timeline
Updates6
Forum12
Teams367
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Summary

Overview

Wind energy deployment in the United States is projected to see significant growth to meet the nation’s decarbonization goals by 2050. As wind turbine manufacturing accelerates, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proactively considering the life cycle of wind turbines, specifically after they are eventually decommissioned.  

About 85%–90% of the mass of a wind turbine is made of materials that can already be commercially recycled. The bulk of the unrecycled materials are fiber-reinforced composites (carbon fiber and fiberglass). These materials can be found in various forms in wind turbine blades, nacelle covers, and the cover for the hub that connects the blades to the wind turbine. The wind energy industry also depends on critical minerals, such as rare earth elements (including neodymium and dysprosium used in generators), which do not currently have domestic commercial-scale recycling options.

 

Watch the prize overview video to learn more! 


Prize Goals

Developing robust, domestic recycling options for fiber-reinforced composites and rare earth elements can lessen the United States’ need to extract and process raw materials, which can, in turn, reduce damage to the environment. Additionally, recycling rare earth elements would safeguard domestic manufacturing by improving resilience to price volatility and supply chain disruption.  

The Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize also seeks to help the United States:  

  • Adopt commercially mature recycling technologies from other industries and create synergistic collaborations.   
  • Develop recycling technologies and processes that have not yet been applied commercially in the United States.   
  • Enhance domestic energy security by reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign materials.  
  • Commercialize technologies that have the potential to create well-paying jobs and grow the domestic wind energy industry.  
  • Attract new talent and expertise to the wind energy industry and engage entities that have not previously worked with DOE.  
  • Expand DOE’s ongoing efforts to advance wind turbine materials recycling

Prize Structure

The $5.1 million Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize has two phases that will run from 2023 to 2024.  

During the first phase, Initiate!, competitors will prepare a submission package that highlights a concept for wind material recycling focused on economic and environmental sustainability. Up to 20 winners will be selected to receive $75,000 in cash each and an invitation to compete in the second phase of the competition.  

In the second phase, Accelerate!, competitors will develop submissions based around prototype demonstrations of their technologies. In this phase, up to six teams will be selected to each receive a cash prize of $500,000 and vouchers to work with DOE national laboratories valued at $100,000.  


Guidelines

The competition is open to private (for-profit and nonprofit) organizations, nonfederal government (such as state, county, tribal, and municipal) entities, academic institutions, and individuals that meet all eligibility requirements.  

Please review the official rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.

Follow this challenge if you want to subscribe to updates on the prize. If have any questions, please use the contact feature on the HeroX platform, or message us directly at .

Timeline
Updates6

Challenge Updates

Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize Awards Six Grand Prize Winners

Sept. 19, 2024, 11:33 a.m. PDT by NREL Challenges

Congratulations to the final winners of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize! The U.S. Department of Energy today announced six Accelerate! phase winners, who were each awarded $500,000 in cash prizes and $100,000 in vouchers to work with DOE national laboratories to advance their wind turbine materials recycling processes. The winning submissions showcased a wide range of cost-effective technologies that can contribute to a sustainable wind energy ecosystem in the United States. Read the full announcement from DOE.  

Congratulations to:  

  • Cimentaire (Houston, Texas) 
  • Critical Materials Recycling (Boone, Iowa) 
  • Fletcher Team (Huntington, West Virginia) 
  • GreenTex Solutions LLC (Charleston, South Carolina) 
  • United Standard Materials Corporation (Houston, Texas) 
  • WIND REWIND (Orono, Maine) 

Stay tuned here on HeroX for updates as we share more about the teams’ winning submissions in the coming months! 

A map of the United States with pin drops showing the location of each of the 6 winners of the second phase of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize.

Twenty Teams Win First Phase of Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize

Jan. 18, 2024, 3:33 p.m. PST by NREL Challenges

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the 20 winners of the first phase of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize. The 20 winning teams from 15 states are each receiving $75,000 and an invitation to advance to Phase 2, where they will develop prototypes of their technologies and compete for the chance to win a cash prize of $500,000 and vouchers valued at $100,000 to work with DOE national laboratories. Read more about the winning submissions.


Reminder: 2 Weeks Until Phase 1 Submissions Are Due!

Sept. 15, 2023, 11:07 a.m. PDT by NREL Challenges

Don’t forget to submit your application to the American-Made Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize by 5 p.m. EST on Sept. 29, 2023! And remember, several resources are available on our HeroX page to help you finalize your submission, including the rules document, a timeline of key dates, and a recording of the informational webinar that was presented by the prize team. You can also review answers to frequently asked questions or ask any additional questions you may have on the HeroX Forum tab. Application questions can also be emailed to windturbinematerialsrecycling.prize@nrel.gov.


September 29 Phase 1 Submission Deadline is Approaching!

Sept. 5, 2023, 7:14 a.m. PDT by NREL Challenges

All submissions for Phase 1 of the American-Made Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize are due on Sept. 29, 2023, at 5 p.m. EST. Several resources are available on our HeroX page to help you finalize your submission, including the rules document, a timeline of key dates, and a recording of the informational webinar that was presented by the prize team. You can also review answers to frequently asked questions or ask any additional questions you may have on the HeroX Forum tab. Application questions can also be emailed to windturbinematerialsrecycling.prize@nrel.gov.


Watch the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize Informational Recording Now

Aug. 18, 2023, 10:30 a.m. PDT by NREL Prize Moderator

Missed the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize informational webinar on August 3rd?  Don't worry, you can now stream the webinar recording or review the slides to learn more about the prize and how you can compete.  

You can also review responses to all questions asked during the webinar on HeroX under the Forum tab.

Remember, the Phase 1 Accelerate! Phase closes on September 29, 2023.  Be sure to review the official rules and submit questions to the HeroX forum or to .  Thank you!


Forum12
Teams367
Resources
FAQ