Disclaimer: The below article is part of our ‘Discussion Articles’ collection of publications designed to facilitate public discussion. The views of the author do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Reform UK Party.
When Ed Miliband tells you that wind energy is “green” remember this video and consider the amount of carbon emissions generated in the building of one. When a corporation tells you that the land will be returned to its original use at the end of its generating, think again…
A two-megawatt windmill contains approximately 390 tonnes of steel (above and below ground) requiring 255 tonnes of coking coal and 450 tonnes of iron ore, all mined, produced and transported by hydrocarbons. Not to mention the 1000 tons of concrete they have hidden beneath ground.
The question has to be asked…how long must a windmill generate energy before it creates more energy than it took to build it? I would argue that the answer is they can’t, not before it gets to the end of its working life. And even then, as soon as technology overtakes them, they won’t reach the 25 years of predicted use before they are replaced. So never. If you want to find out why, then read on…
Even before any foundations are laid, developers will landscape the area, digging roads, and sorting appropriate tracks for vehicles and all with the use of heavy equipment. But that is only the start. The foundation consists of a large diameter, cast-in-place annular plinth (typically 14 to 16-feet in diameter and 25-feet to 35-feet deep). Excavators, dump trucks and bulldozers are required for this task, these are transported by gas guzzling low loaders. A truck with a payload of around 23.5 tonnes can consume up to 38 litres of diesel per 62 miles.
The foundation can take up to three excavators working simultaneously to prepare the ground, consuming about 5-8 litres of diesel per hour, supported by large dump trucks to move the soil, a typical dump truck will return between 6 to 10 miles per gallon, depending on load and terrain.
Each of these vehicles require daily servicing (including oil) to keep them in good operational condition. One litre of diesel when running these monsters creates 2.64kg of CO2 when the vehicle is running, but then you need to add a further 24% to account for refining the diesel.
A land-based turbine foundation can consume up to 165 tons of steel reinforcing bar. The carbon footprint of rebar is 1.85 tons of carbon per ton of steel.
Laying the foundations for a wind turbine involves laying down an impressive amount of concrete. This is typically between 800 and 1000 tons.
The carbon footprint of concrete is 900 kg of CO2 emitted for the fabrication of every ton of cement.
A cement truck will hold 10 cubic yards of concrete and cubic yard of concrete weighs about two tons. Therefore at 20 tons per load it takes 30-50 loads for a full base. The National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) in a benchmark study of its members reported that concrete mixer trucks average 3.4 miles per gallon of diesel fuel.
The plinth is the only clue to the 1000-1200 tons of steel and concrete that’s buried under ground.
So, in summary at this point, if anyone tells you that the ground will be returned to its original use at the end of its generating life…inhale deeply through your nose and take a huge sniff of the bullshit they are talking!
Approximately 10 truckloads will be required to deliver a complete wind turbine generator to each tower location, plus safety vehicles. That’s without considering any air or sea transport necessary from its
country of origin.
The main tower structure is made from steel and can weigh as much as 224 tons. The nacelle is a box-like housing on top of a wind turbine tower that contains the generating components of the turbine The main bearing, the gearbox and the generator. It’s made from aluminium alloy and can weigh in at around 68 tons. The rotor is the rotating part of the turbine; it consists of three blades and a central part connecting the blades, the hub. This can weigh in at around 36 tons. Together these may weigh in at over 100 tons combined.
Gearbox and transformer fires pose a significant threat to wind turbine operation. The prevention of fires in the nacelles of the turbines is a great challenge, because even though they are infrequent, they are the second leading cause of accidents in wind turbines, accounting for up to 30% of total claims recorded.
Nacelle turbine fires typically begin in one of three areas: the converter and capacitor cabinets, the transformer, or the brake. Electrical faults or mechanical overheating can lead to ignition of polymeric components or lubricating oils. The gearbox typically holds 800 gallons of oil, then add to the risk another 1300 gallons of insulation oil in the transformer which is highly flammable. If these ignite, the fire services know that that are fighting a losing battle and will usually withdraw and let the fire burn its self out allowing it to generate tons of toxic smoke to spew into the atmosphere.
One of the biggest risks in wind turbine fires is with wind blades, which are made of composite materials like fiberglass or carbon fibre reinforced with epoxy resin. Although the glass fibres of the blade are an insulating material, are polymeric, that is, they are flammable.
All fibre-reinforced composites comprise matrix materials are flammable to varying degrees and, compared with metals such as aluminium or steel, can burn vigorously, often with the expulsion of more toxic smoke.
The structural collapse of a wind turbine blade is a common event. This can occur if the blade is subject to extreme loads, exceeds its designed strength, and/or as a result of degradation and fatigue of the blade elements, which reduce its structural strength, thus making it more susceptible to extreme winds.
The most common external wind turbine failure is typically damage to the blades caused by bird strikes (yes, that’s right…a bird strike not only kills the bird…it can kill the wind turbine), lightning strikes, strong winds, rainfall, blade furniture detachment, delamination, leading-edge corrosion or blade cracks.
Faults in the turbine’s control system can fail to adjust the blades properly during high winds. This can result in excessive speeds which cause the blades to shatter sending fibreglass splinters and shards flying for great distances.
Such occurrences have led to whole windfarms being shut down.
If you’re wondering where those huge wind turbine blades go after they age and can no longer generate electricity in about 20 to 30 years, there’s a good chance that you’re not the only one wondering.
There is no practical process for recycling wind turbine blades, no matter what anyone may say. Sure, there are many suggestions floating around like some blades being sawn into furniture as one company has proposed or ground up and recycled for other fiberglass uses. But nobody has of yet come up with a workable solution on an industrial scale.
Sending old blades to landfill is hardly an efficient use of the available land. Many landfills in the US are simply refusing to accept any more old blades resulting in huge build-up and resulting in Wind Farm Operators taking legal action. And all of this giving rise to reports of an impending disposal crisis.
Actually, it’s already upon us but why let facts get in the way of a good story…
So, just how green are Wind Farms?
Well, if the truth were told (and it hasn’t been for a very long time) they are not green at all! Both clean coal technology and nuclear power would far outstrip them in a fair assessment.
The only reason that I can conclude for this imbecilic drive to Nut-Zero, is that it’s a more efficient method of transferring wealth from poor to rich…but we’ve been here before haven’t we! Many, many times, over many, many years.
So, before I end my rant, I have but one question to put to you…
“Just how much more treachery from Labour and the Conservative’s and their puppet masters in the WEF, will it take before the British people open their eyes to all of the lies and deceit?”
If you love this country, a vote for is the only answer.
If you love this country, there really is no other option. Britian Needs Reform.
About the Author: Gerard Seal
