Georgia Tech breathes new life into old blades
The Re-Wind Network developed the bridges, breathing new life into sections of wind turbine blades. Russell Gentry, professor in the School of Architecture at Georgia Tech University, leads the United States team.
Gentry, alongside other project members, gathered Tuesday in Buckhead to install a BladeBridge at Beaverbrook Park.
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'These fabulous materials don't recycle well so when they come out of service, you can't really grind them up. You can't use them for anything and they're amazing structures,' Gentry said.
Two other BladeBridges were installed in Ireland a few years ago, but the bridge in Buckhead will be the first of its kind in the United States.
'The idea was instead of trying to recycle these materials, we're repurposing them. Keeping them intact and using them structurally for another use,' added Gentry.
Gentry says the blades were donated by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Company and brought in from Colorado. The Beaverbook Park bridge will feature a deck on either side and is expected to be ready for pedestrian traffic by next month. Gentry says their team is working on bringing a second BladeBridge to the area.
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