After more than twenty years turning wind into energy, the blades of this Tahivilla wind turbine are beginning a new life, defined by sustainability and circular innovation, in the sole of a sneaker. Read the full story here.
A flotilla of seven boats, painted in ochre tones, emerges from the rock face. The figures are simple—almost childlike in their execution—yet they offer a rare glimpse into the fourth millennium BCE, deep in the Neolithic. These are the cave paintings of Laja Alta, just a few kilometres from the Strait of Gibraltar, and among the oldest known depictions of a sailing vessel in the world.
Here, the wind has long been a resource—since time immemorial. Today, on this same stretch of coast, kitesurfers soar high above the beaches of Tarifa, lifted by the same ancient breath that brushes the hills around the village of Tahivilla. Nestled between golden wheat fields and grazing Retinta cattle, one of Spain’s oldest wind farms—built and operated by ACCIONA Energía—still greets the wind and harvests its power.
Wind is as transparent as time. We only see its trace—in a kite, a sail, the slow turn of a wind turbine. How many times has a blade turned over 20 years? At 20 revolutions per minute, perhaps 200 million times. Turn by turn, the blades of Tahivilla have reached the end of their service life. New turbines have already arrived—stronger, more efficient. Such is the cycle of time and of generations. But the journey is not quite over yet. One more voyage awaits—a final transformation.
Thanks to this upgrade, more clean energy will be generated in Tahivilla with fewer turbines, through a process known as repowering. And the old turbines? They will be recycled to make way for the new. In fact, one of the blades from this ACCIONA Energía wind farm has already found new life—as part of a limited-edition collection of trainers, created through the second edition of our collaboration with fashion brand El Ganso, and as part of the #TurbineMade initiative. Read on to follow its circular journey from the skies to the streets.
It may not date back to the Neolithic, but the Tahivilla wind farm is part of the foundational story of renewable energy in Spain. It became operational in the early 2000s, when ideas like sustainability and circular economy were only just beginning to enter the mainstream. The site was chosen for good reason: this region enjoys more than 300 windy days a year, thanks to the Venturi effect, which channels air currents through the Strait of Gibraltar like a natural funnel.
Here begins the story of our blade—one of 98 turbines originally installed at the site. Between 2004 and 2005, this blade and its sisters began producing renewable electricity, with each turbine generating 800 kilowatts—enough to power 42,000 homes.
This 28-metre-long blade has turned millions of times. It has captured the Poniente and Levante winds, and witnessed the passing of summers and the blooming of sunflowers in the fields around Tarifa. Over its lifetime, it helped prevent the emission of more than five million tonnes of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of what more than 5,000 trees would absorb.
After 20 years of dancing with the wind—its full projected lifespan—this blade has completed its mission. Made from a combination of wood, fibreglass and resin, it is now ready for a new purpose.
Our blade bids farewell to the Tahivilla wind farm, where it served until its retirement. Just as blades from one of our other wind farms were transformed into a torsion beam to support solar panels at the Extremadura I-II-III photovoltaic plant, it’s now time for this blade to find a new place in the world. Through a process of shredding and grinding, it can be turned into a fine powder suitable for use in new products.
The blade will be transported to a future recycling facility in Navarra, in northern Spain—a pioneering project led by ACCIONA, designed to process up to 6,000 tonnes of waste each year. Recognised as a Project of Regional Interest by the Government of Navarra, the plant represents a major step forward in the recycling and recovery of materials from thousands of wind turbines approaching the end of their operational life.
Specifically, the Waste2Fiber® plant will use proprietary thermal treatment technology to recycle the composite materials used in turbine blades. The process will preserve the properties of the reinforcing fibres, reuse organic fractions, and convert the composite materials into high-value secondary raw materials.
Since the Neolithic era, when early sailing vessels crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, this region has been a key corridor for human movement—but also for migratory birds flying between Africa and Europe. So at Tahivilla, sustainability goes beyond clean energy production and blade recycling. It also includes a deep respect for local wildlife.
From the outset, one of the farm’s core policies has been to station dedicated personnel on site from sunrise to sunset, monitoring the skies for birds such as kites and vultures. When any are spotted nearby, the turbines are temporarily shut down to minimise the risk of collision. In addition, trials have been conducted using red-painted blades, which are more visible to birds flying through the area.
But let us return to the blade we introduced at the start of this story. What happened to the material recovered at our recycling plant? As mentioned earlier, while the other blades were sent for general recovery and reuse, this particular one has taken on a new life—as the soles of a trainer designed by El Ganso in collaboration with ACCIONA. This marks the second time we have worked together, and we have succeeded in increasing the proportion of fibreglass in the trainer’s rubber soles to 20%.
El Ganso’s trainers are just one example of the potential for recycling wind turbine blades. As part of the #TurbineMade initiative, in addition to the torsion beam at the Extremadura I-II-III solar plant, ten surfboard prototypes have also been developed in Australia using retired turbine blades.
Whether by land, sea or air, these innovations offer just a glimpse of what is possible when circular economy principles are applied to wind turbines at the end of their journey—after decades spent dancing with the wind.
Find out how we transported a huge new mold, for manufacturing over-60-meter-long wind turbine blades, between Bilbao port and the ACCIONA Blades plant in Navarre
