Swedish multinational energy company Vattenfall have found a reuse for wind turbine components previously considered unrecyclable, by turning them into tiny homes.
The concept was revealed at Dutch Design Week 2024, where the power firm and creative studio, Superuse, demonstrated that the fibreglass “nacelle” (the large streamlined pod that can be seen at the top of a wind turbine) has appeal for those looking for sustainable living quarters.
120 cubic metres of recycled living
Their project took a V80 2MW turbine that had been decommissioned after 20 years’ of service generating green energy in Austria, and transformed its 4-metre by 10-metre by 3-metre nacelle into liveable quarters, boasting a kitchen, bathroom and lounge. The choice of one of the smallest nacelles for the proof-of-concept was deliberate, proving that even the tiniest ones can become an attractive place to live, work or vacation.
Of course, the pod, separated from the other turbine elements, is no longer situated at the top of a wind generator, 100 metres in the air. Instead, it can be transported much the same as a prefabricated or container house and placed on the ground with minimal preparation, in a location of choice.

Bursting with eco-features
Given how costly transforming or repurposing turbine elements can be, involving melting down steel for example, Thomas Hjort, Vattenfall’s Director of Innovation, said the company wanted to focus on “making something new from them with as few modifications as possible.”
As well as allowing owners to feel good about reducing industrial waste, the project is filled with other eco options. The Vattenfall website explains that the interior design draws on “sustainably produced and second-hand furniture, including a table made of circuform that incorporates material from a recycled wind turbine blade.” In addition, the electrical installation, by Vattenfall subsidiary Feenstra, is composed of a heat pump, solar panels, and a solar water heater, further boosting the pod’s green credentials.

A challenge
Noting the game-changing possibilities for nacelle re-use that the pod-home could bring, Jos de Krieger, project partner, said, “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.”
In fact, Vattenfall has not stopped short of imagining what some of those solutions might be, with other innovative reuses wind for wind turbine materials also explored, including turning turbine data into art installations and old wind blades into floating islands.