Surfboards Born from Recycled Turbines Now Give Back to the Ocean
What if a gust of wind in Morocco could become a wave of positive change for both people and the planet? That’s exactly what’s happening through an extraordinary new initiative that reimagines the life of retired wind turbines—and transforms them into something beautifully unexpected: high-performance surfboards.
This project, led by the Koudia Al Baida Energy Company (KABEC)—a joint venture between EDF Renewables and Abel Energy—embodies the true meaning of circularity. It starts with the Koudia Al Baida wind farm in northern Morocco, overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. In 2024, this pioneering site underwent a full repowering, replacing 90 aging turbines with 20 new, more powerful ones. The upgrade doubled the wind farm’s capacity to 100MW, providing clean electricity for 400,000 people. But the story didn’t end with the decommissioning of the old turbines—it just began.
While most components of the old turbines, like the towers and foundations, were relatively easy to recycle, the blades posed a bigger challenge. Made from composite materials, they’re notoriously hard to repurpose. That’s where innovation—and a little surf stoke—came in.
Together with California-based surfboard shaper and sustainability trailblazer Ry Harris of ECObyRy, the project team developed a new technology called Turbine Tech. Rather than shredding or discarding the blades, the material was shaped into structural bands that add flex and strength to surfboards. These boards aren’t just symbolic—they’re functional, durable, and ready to ride the very waves powered by the same Moroccan winds that once spun through the turbines.
But the vision goes deeper than just surfboards. It’s about giving back—twice. Each of the 10 boards created through this project is being gifted to a young Moroccan surfer, selected in partnership with the Royal Moroccan Surfing Federation. These are promising teenagers—both boys and girls—who have shown skill and passion in the water, but lack access to quality boards. Now, they’ll not only be riding top-tier equipment—they’ll be riding history.
And the impact doesn't stop there. Thanks to a collaboration with Seatrees, each board also funds the planting of 30 mangrove trees on the coast of Marereni, Kenya. These mangroves help restore biodiversity, protect coastlines, and sequester carbon. It's a full-circle moment: wind becomes energy, energy becomes a surfboard, and that surfboard becomes a tool for restoring the ocean.
This is more than just a sustainability story. It’s a testament to what’s possible when clean energy, design, and community come together. From recycled wind to surfboards, and from the ocean to reforestation, the legacy of this project is one of regeneration—proving that even after a turbine’s last spin, it can still create waves of change.