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What happens to renewable energy infrastructure when its working life ends? Thousands of wind turbines around the world are approaching decommissioning age, raising questions about how to deal with their large, complex components. Most are built from durable materials designed to last decades, yet many end up in landfills or are broken down for recycling at a significant energy cost.
A growing number of architects and engineers are rethinking that trajectory. Rather than dismantle or discard, they are finding new uses for high-quality materials already shaped for function. One recent example demonstrates how reuse can extend far beyond art pieces or furniture, reaching into full-scale, livable housing.
Swedish energy company Vattenfall, working with Dutch design studio Superuse, has transformed a decommissioned wind turbine nacelle into a compact and fully functional tiny house. The project demonstrates how large-scale industrial components can be repurposed as sustainable living spaces through creative, low-impact design.
🌀 From Wind Power to Living Space
The nacelle once formed part of a Vestas V80 2MW wind turbine at the Gols wind farm in Austria, where it operated for around 20 years. Measuring roughly 10 meters in length, 4 meters in width, and 3 meters in height, it provides about 376 square feet of interior space. Its durable, weather-resistant shell offered a practical base for the conversion into a livable structure.
🏡 Sustainable Design Features
The interior includes a kitchen, bathroom, and living area, all outfitted with sustainably produced and reused materials. A table made from recycled wind turbine blades highlights the project’s commitment to rethinking material use within the space.
Energy efficiency guided the design process. Four rooftop solar panels supply around 1,800 watts of power, enough to support essential systems such as a heat pump, climate control, and a solar water heater. Ventilation is managed through a decentralized system, and an exterior charging point allows for electric vehicle support.
♻️ Embracing Circular Economy Principles
Vattenfall’s approach reflects its wider focus on circularity. Thomas Hjort, Director of Innovation at the company, explained the intent behind reusing turbine parts in practical ways:
We are looking for innovative ways in which you can reuse materials from used turbines as completely as possible. So making something new from them with as few modifications as possible. That saves raw materials, energy consumption and in this way we ensure that these materials are useful for many years after their first working life.
Source: Vattenfall Group
Jos de Krieger, partner at Superuse, emphasized the broader potential for reuse at scale:
At least ten thousand of this generation of nacelles are available, spread around the world. Most of them have yet to be decommissioned. This offers perspective and a challenge for owners and decommissioners. If such a complex structure as a house is possible, then numerous simpler solutions are also feasible and scalable.
Source: Vattenfall Group
🌍 Potential Applications and Future Outlook
The tiny home currently exists as a prototype, but it presents real possibilities for how wind turbine components can be used beyond their original lifespan. Practical applications might include off-grid homes, eco-tourism accommodation, or temporary shelter in remote areas.
The project brings together renewable infrastructure and housing in a way that opens new paths for sustainable design. Repurposed materials are not simply recycled , they are retained, reimagined, and given a new role in everyday life.