Increasing circularity of small-scale wind turbines: the PANORAMA vertical axis prototype

Despite the extensive research to optimise the performance of large- and small-scale wind turbines, little research has been conducted on design choices to improve the circularity of their components. Considering the relatively short life expectancy of these systems and, above all, their prospected contribution in increasing the sustainability of built and natural environments through diffused networks, this matter crucially shifts their impacts from the energy dimension to the material resources one. Starting from this premise, the Interreg project PANORAMA tackled the issue by designing and producing a prototype of a vertical axis micro-wind turbine which implements recyclable, renewable and reused materials in a fully reversible assembly system. The exploration of alternative materials and reversible connections also allowed expanding the investigation to another domain of the project: the landscape integration of renewable energy production systems, including site restoration. The investigation resulted in improving the material efficiency of a renewable energy production system in a life-cycle perspective while preserving its performance, that will soon be field-tested. The article frames the research by presenting the state of the art on large- and small-scale wind turbines, illustrating their difficult circular management despite current technological improvements. It then introduces the prototype and the theoretical framework behind its design, describing its technical features and the design choices on materials and assembly systems. The potential of implementing reversibility, recyclable content, material substitution, and upcycling in these systems will then be described, in light of both their ecological relevance and the prospected diffused integration within urban and landscape contexts.