Method and apparatus for decommissioning wind turbine blades

Abstract

A method for decommissioning a wind turbine blade includes separating a root section of a turbine blade from a tip section of a turbine blade, and laterally cutting the tip section of the turbine blade into a plurality of separate tip subsections. Each tip subsection is cut along its length, flattened, deposited into a compacting and bundling apparatus, and compressed. The compressed tip subsections are bundled in the compacting and bundling apparatus with banding material to form a bundle. The bundle is removed from the compacting and bundling apparatus and loaded onto a transportation vehicle. A compacting and bundling apparatus includes a base having four base members that form a rigid base structure, a plurality of vertical posts secured to the base structure, and two cross members from a first side of the base to an opposing second side of the base.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.