Sweetwater, Texas, in Nolan County, usually known for its annual rattlesnake round up, is now the home to a massive, unsightly, decommissioned wind turbine graveyard.
Local and state authorities are now aggressively trying to resolve the problem after thousands of blades have been dumped across unpermitted fields, creating a highly publicized site that poses safety hazards and environmental concerns.
In February, four outof- state individuals connected to the recycling firm Global Fiberglass Solutions were indicted on charges ranging from illegal dumping to organized criminal activity.
The blades take up nearly 1 million square feet in a field off Interstate 20, with hundreds more a second site. Originally up to 200 feet long nearly the wingspan of a Boeing 747 the blades have been cut into thirds, exposing gaping openings. Locals complain they’re a haven for rattlesnakes, collect water that attracts mosquitoes and pose a threat to children living nearby. Now the state is suing; criminal charges have been announced.
In February, four outof- state individuals connected to the recycling firm Global Fiberglass Solutions were indicted on charges ranging from illegal dumping to organized criminal activity. Nolan County District Attorney, said four have been indicted and he is seeking significant jail time and says more charges are likely.
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a civil lawsuit against Global Fiberglass Solutions, the recycling company that left the blades in Sweetwater. Global Fiberglass is facing another lawsuit from the state of Iowa, as well as several claims for unpaid wages and fees to suppliers.
In 2009, Don Lilly and Ken Weyant founded Global Fiberglass Solutions in Bothell, Washington, Lilly until that point had worked in software sales and knew nothing about recycling. Weyant who died in 2015 was an accountant who had developed an interest in hardto- reuse materials.
Global Fiberglass pitched turbine-makers including General Electric, saying it could chop up their blades on wind farms, take them away for recycling and issue certificates of decommissioning. Lilly touted his partnership with Karl Englund, Global Fiberglass’s chief technology officer had found a way to grind old blades down into filler materials that could strengthen everything from furniture to concrete.
In 2015, the U.S government extended the federal production tax credit for wind energy, encouraging many wind-farm owners to “repower” and replace existing turbines with newer, larger components, which meant thousands of blades would be sent to landfills.
In 2017, the company moved into a former aluminum recycling plant in Sweetwater and GE struck two deals for Global to remove and recycle nearly 5,000 old blades, at a perblade price of more than $3,500, and the company began amassing blades. But Global hadn’t lined up customers for its recycled product.
In 2018, Lilly got a call from GE, saying it was hearing complaints that its blades were piling up.
In 2019, Global issued a press release describing commercial production underway in Sweetwater. A former employee claims she was pressured by executives to describe it as fully operational in a presentation to a turbine maker, as well as in a newsletter.
Now being sued, Lilly claims he hasn’t dumped anything and remains interested in recycling the blades, but in earlier interviews, described a vicious circle of acquiring old blades but being unable to find buyers for recycled material, leading to a massive stockpile.
In 2022, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued an enforcement order requiring Global to obtain permits for existing blades and stop accepting new material until it did. According to the commission, it didn’t comply, and the matter was referred to the attorney general, who says Global has since accepted numerous deliveries in the matter to the attorney general. According to Paxton’s office, Global Fiberglass has since accepted numerous deliveries to its main Sweetwater site.
Meanwhile a local Sweetwater trucking firm claims it is owed about $590,000 for hauling. The firm bought seven extra long trailers at $35,000 each just to haul for Global.
In 2023 GE sued Global, accusing the company of “fraud and deception” and a “bait and switch scheme.” In 2024, a judge ruled for GE ordering Global Fiberglass to pay about $15.5 million, plus interest and legal fees. The case points to the larger challenge of disposing of turbine blades, and other complex plastic-infused materials, after their useful life. Blade waste has been increasing as older turbines are replaced or refurbished, and the world could see some 43 million tons of it by 2050, according to one estimate.
While some tout that recycling turbine blades is the way to solve the problem, it is actually limited by the use of tough, reinforced thermoset composites (like fiberglass and carbon fiber) that cannot be melted down like regular plastics and there are few buyers for recycled content from blades. And the waste is bad public relations for an industry claiming to be “clean, green energy.” In Texas, a new law stipulates that the costs of component disposal and recycling be included in the financial assurances required under wind-power facility agreements.
Though Texas generates more wind power than any other U.S. state, Paxton announced the lawsuit against Global Fiberglass with a political jab at the sector, saying, “Just because the radical left calls something a “green industry, does not give any company a free pass.”