Thousands of aging wind turbines will eventually need to be decommissioned, but the disposal of this “green” technology could prove to be a dirty job for environmental regulators.
While not nearly as productive as coal, natural gas or nuclear, wind turbines can churn out power more efficiently than solar panels, making them a more viable option of the renewable energy sector. The European Union has stood out as a global leader in utilizing this technology, with wind already its second largest power source. Germany — the first European country to wholeheartedly embrace wind energy — has spent over $200 billion on a sweeping initiative to transition itself away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.
Besides a host of problems that occur during a wind turbine’s lifetime — such as intermittent power production and the killing of thousands of large, rare birds — Germany is now dealing with a another pressing issue: What is to be done with a wind turbine once it’s reached the end of its life cycle? There are over 28,000 onshore wind turbines in Germany. More than one-third of these aging turbines will need to be decommissioned by 2023.
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7 comments:
how UNsustainable!
Wind and solar degrade the environment while the media pretends its good for us and the earth.
Just wait until the artificial field at Seagull Stadium wears out and needs replacement. I've dealt with other venues on that and the expense of disposing of artificial turf is far more than the original cost. And that's *IF* you can find a landfill to take it. I know, you think I'm kidding but you just wait!
Wind turbines more efficient than solar???? Well, then, since there's never beed a wind turbine made that generated more power than its cost of manufacture, maintenance & decommissioning, solar must the worlds' most pollutive form of energy generation we have.
Let's promote that.
/s
"and the killing of thousands of large, rare birds —"
Funny thing is I stopped at the very large windmill turbine in front of Chesapeake Community College and I never ever saw a dead bird anywhere in site.
Another thing, it wasn't noisy so when they come up with these lies you can tell they why.
There's good, there's bad, but the real question yet to be asked/answered - is there a true NEED that will benefit everyone (not just the business).
Thanks for all the kind data/expert opinions/etc - don't call us, we'll call you when/if we are interested!
I'm amenable to any power source that is inexpensive, with more points for those with low pollution. They all have drawbacks.
People fear nuclear but once constructed and properly run it is unobtrusive. Eventually there is an issue with depleted rods.
Wind and solar are variable and solar in particular has been bootstrapped via subsidies from other taxpayers.
I've read there are enormous numbers of abandoned windmills in the North Sea, and frankly don't understand why preventive and scheduled wouldn't keep them going indefinitely.
A monetary reserve for removal, backed by bonding, should be part and parcel of any new wind project's approval process going forward.
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