World¡¯s First ¡°Green Wind Turbine¡± Successfully Installed
2026-4-17
Recently, German energy giant RWE announced the successful installation of the world¡¯s first offshore wind turbine equipped with low-emission steel towers and recyclable blades at the Thor Offshore Wind Farm in Denmark, marking the birth of the green wind turbine. The key highlight of this turbine lies in the application of dual green technologies.
The towers for 36 turbines are manufactured by Salzgitter AG of Germany using low-carbon steelmaking processes. Through extensive use of scrap steel, reduced energy consumption in production, and power supply from renewable sources, the carbon footprint of the tower steel has been cut by at least 63% compared with conventional processes, with the carbon emission cap per tonne of steel limited to 0.7 tonnes of CO₂, achieving deep decarbonization at the raw material stage.
The recyclable blades used in the project are developed by Siemens Gamesa. Building on its proven one-piece casting technology, only a specially formulated resin material is replaced, allowing the resin, fiberglass and other composite materials to be separated using a weak acid solution once the blades are decommissioned, enabling 100% material recovery and reuse. Data shows that the integration of these two technologies is expected to reduce the turbine¡¯s lifecycle carbon emissions by approximately 20%.
The Thor Offshore Wind Farm is Denmark¡¯s largest offshore wind farm to date, with a total installed capacity of 1,080 MW. A total of 72 Siemens Gamesa SG 15-236 DD turbines are planned for installation, each with a blade length of 115 meters and a hub height of around 148 meters. All 72 monopile foundations for the project have been completed. Turbine installation commenced in 2026, with full installation scheduled to be finished by the end of the year, and commercial operation expected in early 2027.
The towers for 36 turbines are manufactured by Salzgitter AG of Germany using low-carbon steelmaking processes. Through extensive use of scrap steel, reduced energy consumption in production, and power supply from renewable sources, the carbon footprint of the tower steel has been cut by at least 63% compared with conventional processes, with the carbon emission cap per tonne of steel limited to 0.7 tonnes of CO₂, achieving deep decarbonization at the raw material stage.
The recyclable blades used in the project are developed by Siemens Gamesa. Building on its proven one-piece casting technology, only a specially formulated resin material is replaced, allowing the resin, fiberglass and other composite materials to be separated using a weak acid solution once the blades are decommissioned, enabling 100% material recovery and reuse. Data shows that the integration of these two technologies is expected to reduce the turbine¡¯s lifecycle carbon emissions by approximately 20%.
The Thor Offshore Wind Farm is Denmark¡¯s largest offshore wind farm to date, with a total installed capacity of 1,080 MW. A total of 72 Siemens Gamesa SG 15-236 DD turbines are planned for installation, each with a blade length of 115 meters and a hub height of around 148 meters. All 72 monopile foundations for the project have been completed. Turbine installation commenced in 2026, with full installation scheduled to be finished by the end of the year, and commercial operation expected in early 2027.