Quantifying the Materials That Exist in Solar and Wind Generation Systems and Associated Transmission Systems in a Semi-Remote Australian Context

The renewable energy industry is rapidly growing and the need to retire the systems and their associated components at their end of life is fast approaching. The general field of research into recycling materials in construction aims to provide effective and efficient methods for breaking down components into their raw materials; however, there is limited literature on introducing these materials back into a circular economy. This paper follows previous work by quantifying the volumes of raw materials in solar and wind generation systems, as well as the corresponding network connections to the transmission systems. Using three different-sized systems for solar and wind generation systems in NSW, Australia, an analytical trend has been established for quantifying each material that exists within the system. The transmission systems, however, are isolated cases, dependent on variables that are listed within the paper. Ultimately, the amounts of each material on farms within the ranges presented can be extrapolated from the trends using simple polynomial models provided. The wind generation and solar generation assets produce differing types of materials due to their vastly different technologies; however, many useful materials are available for recycling in future renewable energy systems. Solar and wind farms have differing materials that have potential uses in a circular economy, and the masses that have been presented in the paper are considerably monumental that it would be detrimental to our environment if they were not reintroduced into more sustainable forms of generation. By summarising the mass of materials, further research can be developed to understand the opportunities that exist in recycling materials, rather than further damaging the environment through mining new and raw materials.