Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades, Cybersecurity Workplace Culture, and Saving Energy With the US Navy

In this episode, our hosts discuss: 

• Recyclable Wind Turbine Blades: Researchers at NREL are developing wind turbine blades using a new material known as PECAN (PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network) resin. This bioderivable resin allows the blades to be chemically recycled and remanufactured multiple times, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional wind blades that often end up in landfills after their 20-year lifespan. 
• Cybersecurity in Critical Infrastructure: As the world becomes increasingly dependent on digital technologies, cyberattacks against utilities are on the rise. NREL is addressing the cybersecurity workforce gap by integrating cybersecurity as a core engineering skill instead of just an add-on. This approach, known as cyber-informed engineering, is being promoted through the development of educational tools and direct training. 
• U.S. Navy Improves Energy Efficiency: The U.S. Navy's infrastructure includes over 500,000 buildings. The use of NREL’s Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) platform and the Navy Smart Grid system is providing better insights into building performance and prioritizing energy-saving upgrades. 

This episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle, written and produced by Allison Montroy and Kaitlyn Stottler, and edited by James Wilcox, Joe DelNero, and Brittany Falch. Graphics are by Brittnee Gayet. Our title music is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. We express our gratitude and acknowledge that the land we are on is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples. Email us at podcast@nrel.gov. Follow NREL on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.

Transcript

Kerrin: Welcome to Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast, brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. We’re highlighting the latest in clean energy research and innovations happening at the lab. It’s Wednesday, September 4. I’m Kerrin Jeromin.  

Jason: And I’m Jason Youngstrom, filling in for Taylor today!  

Kerrin: Hey, Jason! Welcome back to the studio, my friend.  

Jason: It is always a good day when I get to join the podcast.  

Kerrin: Always a great day to see you as well! And it’s really a fun day when we get to record an episode with you talking about the coolest stuff happening at the lab. I know it’s only the beginning of September, Jason, but you’re here for what feels like the beginning of fall!  

Jason: Right? The kids are back in school, the mornings have a little crisp-ness, and I’m ready for it!  

Kerrin: Alright, well I hope you’re just as ready for this show--we’ve got a trio of fun topics to talk about today, let’s fall into it!  

[music]  

Jason: To kick off our first story, I’ve got question for you: Do you say pe-cahn or pee-can?  

Kerrin: I think I’m in the pee-can party.  

Jason: Well, either way you say it, pecan is pretty spectacular.  

Kerrin: I didn’t realize you were such a fan of tree nuts, actually.  

Jason: Wait, tree nuts? No, what are you talking about?  

Kerrin: Um … pecans? Like … the pie, right? Isn’t that what you’re talking about?  

Jason: Pie. Right, but no. PECAN! Like the PolyEster Covalently Adaptable Network resin. But now I’m hungry for pie.  

Kerrin: Oh, that PECAN. I gotcha. Of course this had to be an acronym. And it is—PECAN—that’s the acronym. Well, before we break for dessert, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this story, because it’s a big one. Researchers are looking at how to stop old wind turbine blades from winding up in a landfill.  

Jason: Yes, it’s so cool. So, currently, wind blades last about 20 years, and then they can be mechanically recycled, basically shredded for use in, like, concrete filler.  

Kerrin: But NREL researchers are taking a big leap forward by exploring the manufacturing of bioderivable wind turbine blades that can be chemically recycled and reused, thanks to this PECAN resin. 

Jason: Yeah. PECAN is made of materials produced using bioderivable resources—but it performs at the same level as blades made of thermoset resin, which are the current industry standard. It also outperforms certain thermoplastic resins that are intended to be recyclable.  

Kerrin: Now, you might be wondering if a blade designed to be recyclable will function as well as traditional wind blades. There could be concerns that the blade could lose its shape or deform over time.  

Jason: Right, that’s a huge concern—but researchers found that wasn’t the case here. In testing, they found that their materials made with the PECAN resin held their shape, withstood weatherization, and took about the same amount of time to make as current wind turbine blade manufacturing methods.  

Kerrin: So, to find all this out, the researchers built a prototype 9-meter blade – which is about 30 feet long or a little shorter than a school bus, we’ll say. They also determined that the chemical recycling process with the PECAN resin makes it possible for the blades to be broken down into their components and reused and remanufactured over and over and over…and over again. You get the idea.  

Jason:  Right! A very important part of the circular economy. And it doesn’t take long for this chemical process to break down the blades: the 9-meter prototype only took about six hours! Granted, a full-size blade can measure the length of a football field—but this 9-meter prototype proved that this process is doable.  

Kerrin: Ah, like a football reference, another fall reference. Some really cool research happening! So, about that pie we were talking about …  

Jason: Yes, let’s do a snack break!  

[music]  

Kerrin: Alright, Jason, here’s an alarming stat: In 2023, the FBI recorded almost double the amount of ransomware attacks on utilities compared to 2022.  

Jason: Yikes. At the same time, we’re becoming increasingly reliant on digital technologies and communications, especially for grid operations. 

Kerrin: And to add onto that slightly worrying stat, there’s more: the workforce in critical sectors is short-staffed and undertrained in cybersecurity—especially among small utilities, like in rural or remote communities.  

Jason: Oof, that is concerning. Is this where you say that the good folks at NREL are working on a solution?  

Kerrin: Of course! There’s always something good in every story. The U.S. government has taken steps to address this workforce gap by expanding diversity and educating the critical infrastructure workforce in cybersecurity. And NREL is putting those steps into action—partially by designing tools that allow the current workforce to perceive system security intuitively.  

Jason: Yeah, and one of those strategies is cyber-informed engineering, which situates cybersecurity as a core engineering skill—so it’s not just a course you take or an annual training, but it’s actually part of the job.  

Kerrin: Very important. In one effort, researchers organized a library of security resources for critical systems. Now, they’re working with engineering schools and industry executives to develop curricula and direct training.  

Jason: Knowing your way around system logs is a key cybersecurity skill, but full-day trainings of reading logs does not encourage people to join the workforce. Recognizing this, companies and industries have long relied on team-based activities and competitions that mimic the high-stakes collaborations that engineers experience in the field.  

Kerrin: A great example of that is the Department of Energy’s Liberty Eclipse Full-Scale Exercise, which gathers system operators for a week of live training and incident response exercises. Utility and energy sector workers, National Guard units, and other critical operations staff gain practical experience managing cyberattacks together in a technologically furnished facility. How cool is that?  

Jason: Very cool. And the hope here is that the consequences of cyber sabotage could eventually be engineered out of critical systems, so to speak. Basically, security will be so central to the design that systems will be secure from the inside out.  

Kerrin: And even with some of the most sophisticated cyber-energy solutions and a legacy of innovating cybersecurity technologies, NREL researchers know that present threats require an even greater shift. And it’s up to all of use to create a culture of cybersecurity.  

[music]  

Jason: So, we queued up the last story with an alarming stat. How about if I start this one with a genuinely impressive one? 

Kerrin: Alright, let’s see if you can impress me. Go for it.  

Jason: So, the U.S. Navy is a big institution with hundreds of ships sailing all around the world, but the Navy also has a huge footprint on land, with more than 500,000 buildings and structures at over 500 domestic and international naval sites.  

Kerrin: Yeah, that’s pretty impressive! That’s a lot of buildings. And that sounds like a BIG opportunity to increase efficiency, which saves energy and money!  

Jason: Indeed, I see you’ve been here before. But they’ll need some high-quality, consistent data to get there.  

Kerrin: And NREL just happens to have the data analysis capabilities to help them out. In a new project for the Department of Defense, research from NREL helps turn energy data into actionable insights.  

Jason: The project uses NREL’s Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform, or SEED, which is an open-source software application that helps generate reports on building performance data. Combined with the Navy Smart Grid system, they were able to get more consistent and easier to analyze data.  

Kerrin: Which ultimately means that facility managers have a better understanding of energy efficiency issues and how they can fix them. It also helps them prioritize needed upgrades like heating and air conditioning, or electrical retrofits.  

Jason: Right! NREL's research provided several enhancements to the Navy Smart Grid, including improved building controls interoperability, asset-driven key performance indicators, a comprehensive library of automated fault detection and diagnostic algorithms, and a process for generating digital twins of buildings and facilities.  

Kerrin: That was a mouthful, well done with that. And this is great news for the Navy, but the impact goes beyond that. The methods NREL used in the project can also be applied in other areas within the Department of Defense to help find cost and energy savings opportunities. One of those places is the U.S. Army, which is working with NREL researchers on a new project.  

Jason: Yes! It’s one of nine Environmental Security Technology Certification Program projects that NREL is currently working on for the Department of Defense. It’s very cool!  

[music]  

Kerrin: With that, we wrap another episode. Jason, thank you so much for joining me today!  

Jason: Oh, it has been my pleasure! And thanks for having me—it’s been a fun episode. And thanks for tuning in, everyone! This has been another episode of Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast.  

Kerrin: And if you like what you hear, give us a follow, leave us a review, or email us at podcast@nrel.gov.  

[music]  

Kerrin: This episode was adapted from NREL news articles from July 2024 written by Connor O’Neil, Lindsey McGuirk, and Wayne Hicks. Our theme music is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino, of Drift B-C. This podcast is produced by NREL’s Communications Office and recorded at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. We express our gratitude and acknowledge that the land we are on is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples. We recognize and pay respect to the Indigenous peoples from our past, present, and future, and are grateful to those who have been and continue to be stewards of this land.