The connection between Australian peoples and the ocean dates back tens of thousands of years through ancient seafaring. This legacy continues today through surfing, a central part of national identity. At the same time, Australia has become a global leader in wind energy. Driven by some of the largest wind farms in the Southern Hemisphere, such as MacIntyre, wind energy already accounts for 13.4% of the power generated in the country. Now, these two forces, waves and wind, are converging in an unexpected way. 

Through a collaboration between ACCIONA Energía and Bolero Surf, decommissioned turbine blades are being transformed into high-performance surfboard fins, bringing circular economy principles to life in the water. In this feature article, we explore their competitive debut and the origins of the Turbine Made initiative behind this project.

Tom Blake, the grandfather of surfing, was the first person to think of adding a fin to his early surfboard back in 1935. Inspired by boat rudders, he sought to stabilise his movement in the waters of Waikiki, Hawaii. Nearly a century later, Banjo Hunt, the founder of Bolero Surf, began researching new materials and designs for this essential component, this time in Australia. Banjo was looking for a material that was both high-performing and sustainable, rigid enough to reduce drag but flexible enough to maintain control. It was during this search that he encountered the retired turbine blades from ACCIONA Energía.  He explains that the design he has created offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional glass-fibre fins. 

These fins are manufactured by cutting and reshaping blade sections using purely mechanical processes, preserving the structural integrity of the composite without introducing additional chemical treatments. The result is a fin that not only repurposes advanced composite materials but takes advantage of their original engineering which is designed to withstand extreme forces.

Beyond the use of the material itself, the collaboration with ACCIONA Energía has provided Bolero Surf with the technical expertise required to better understand the unique properties of the composite.

This new generation of sustainable fins has moved beyond mere proof-of-concept to become a fully-fledged commercial product. Far from being restricted to recreational use, the technology was put to the test in professional competition during the Aussie Boardriders Battle (ABB) in March 2026. In the waves at Burleigh Heads on Queensland’s Gold Coast, surfer Darcy Crump competed with the fins, reporting that they “feel solid and fast in the turns", with the added benefit of being sustainable.

As wind energy matures, many early-generation turbines are reaching the end of their lifecycle. Through repowering, newer and more efficient turbines are replacing them, creating an opportunity to rethink how legacy materials are used, a topic we recently explored in our feature on the Tahivilla wind farm, located halfway around the world in Spain.

Managing this transition through a circular lens to recover 100% of materials is a priority for ACCIONA Energía. From the concrete and steel of turbine towers to the metallic components of the nacelles and the resins of the blades, every element provides an opportunity to re-engineer a second life, just as demonstrated with these surfboard fins. That’s the driving force behind a pioneering initiative by ACCIONA Energía.

The Bolero Surf fins are not a one-off innovation, they are the result of Turbine Made, launched by ACCIONA Energía in Australia in February 2025. The initiative focuses on collaboration with partners to help transform decommissioned turbine blade materials into scalable, high-value applications. The initial materials were reclaimed from the blades of the Waubra wind farm in Victoria. There, one of these blades—having already prevented emissions equivalent to planting 5,715 trees during its years of service—was transformed into a new particulate for industrial applications.

This initiative responds to a growing industry-wide challenge: Australia is already home to dozens of wind farms with turbines over 15 years old, and over the next decade, a significant number of blades will need to be replaced. Developing scalable solutions is essential to divert large volumes of material from landfill and enable a more sustainable energy transition.

Subsequently, both the broken-down particulate and segments of the blades removed via mechanical cutting have been repurposed for a variety of uses.

One of the most innovative applications developed under Turbine Made is the creation of prototype surfboards in collaboration with professional surfer Josh Kerr and his brand, Draft Surf. Using cross-sections of decommissioned blades, the team engineered boards that integrate multiple turbine-derived components: fibreglass repurposed into fins for stability and speed, precision-cut sections used as flex strips to enhance controlled flexibility, and Turbine Made particulate incorporated into the resin to reinforce the board’s structure. Overall, around 30% of each board by weight is made from recycled turbine blades.

Beyond surfboards, these materials are already finding their way into other uses. In Spain they have been transformed into torsion beams for solar panels and soles for trainers, extending their utility on land.

As more turbines reach the end of their operational life, initiatives like Turbine Made demonstrate how materials once designed for energy generation can continue creating value in entirely new ways.

From surfboards to energy infrastructure, ACCIONA Energía is helping redefine what lifecycle responsibility looks like, and demonstrating that the transition to renewable energy can be circular, innovative, and enduring.

The fins are now available for purchase through the Bolero Surf online shop.