Engineers turn retired wind turbine blades into highway signs, cutting material costs by 73%

Wind turbine blades don't necessarily become useless when they reach the end of their working lives. Engineers at the University of Houston have explored a way to give them a second purpose by turning sections of retired blades into a structure that supports highway signs.

The team built a full scale prototype using parts of decommissioned wind turbine blades, the project tackled a practical problem that these blades are made from strong composite materials that can be difficult and expensive to recycle.