Wind Turbine Blades - Environmental Problem?

[Lancashire Lad]

It seems that wind energy is not only the least efficient and most expensive method of large scale electrical generation, but the sheer numbers of wind turbines that are required, are beginning to create an environmental problem in their own right:-

Vindmøllevinger er et enormt miljøproblem

For those of you, (like myself I hasten to add), who can’t speak Danish, you can copy and paste the article into Google Translate (or any other online translation site).

Google Translate comes up with this (which even within the limitations of automatic translation, is quite intelligible).

As wind power becomes a key part of energy supply, growing a huge waste problem with similar speed.

Wind turbine blades are completely impossible to recycle, and therefore they end up in the ovens in cogeneration or landfill. Minister warms up for an intervention. It writes Børsen.

As the wind industry to fill an increasing share of Denmark's energy needs, looming there is a gigantic mountain of scrap blades up.

They can not be recycled, but can only be incinerated or disposed of in landfills and therefore represents a huge environmental problem.

"When a wind turbine is operating, it produces green energy. But when it's worn out, so is it suddenly a problem. There is currently no concrete solution to reusing blades from wind turbines," says senior development engineer Tom Løgstrup Andersen from Risø -DTU. He has two decades of research into fiberglass and composites.

Bear in mind that such blades are routinely more than 60 metres in length, and several metres in width, and that they each weigh several tonnes.

Also bear in mind that since 2004 (within most EU member states) it has been illegal to send such carbon composites to landfill, and that incinerating carbon composites creates toxic gases,

I wonder what will become of all of these redundant blades at the end of their working life.

Regards,
Mike.

[John D]

Yes Mike it is becoming very apparent that 'wind generation' isn't as 'GREEN' as 'certain people' would like us to believe.

However there is no doubt about it more organisations/bodies are starting to challenge the shear folly of throwing so much hard earned cash at what is a'money spinner' for a 'certain few' and an increasing financial burden for the rest of us.
It is very difficult to understand how so much reliance can be put on such alternative systems as wind or solar power when their reliance, sustainability and cost are so unpredictable and in many cases so negative.

However, as been said many times, there is a place for them within the 'overall mix' of generation sources but certainly not as a REPLACEMENT. Alternative energy sources can be very useful contributors towards our energy needs but it is times the 'decision making authorities' were taking time to re-think their policies before it's too late and before any more capital and 'hard earned subsidies' (obtained from us,the general public) is allowed to be'blown away' never to be recovered.

John D

[tom00_uk]

there are companies out there that can deal with fibreglass etc and with the ever increasing use of composites in so many different situations both domestic and commercial it is a area with a lot of R & D going on.

at least when cured the product is inert and if landfill is used is going to remain unchanged until a time comes when it can be dealt with, or it can be incinerated for some calorific gain if the plant has a decent scrubbing system.

the materials used in those that have come to the end of their working lives have been in use for a long time, a lot of those blades in Denmark etc get sold on to other countries, the UK in the past has often used bits on our set ups that have had a prior working life to try and reduce set up costs and there is a market place for people to go to if they want to get a set up on their land for that little bit less.