A number of the wind turbines that have been collapsing around the world have been more than 750 feet tall, Eric Utter writes.
The tallest thus far, 784 feet high, fell in Germany in September 2021. This means the turbines are (were) taller than the Space Needle in Seattle and the Washington Monument. Even the shorter turbines that have tumbled to the ground recently were roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty.
A wind turbine can weigh up to 334 tons.
Yikes!
In Sweden last year a wind turbine collapsed, and people were warned to stay away because .. it was leaking oil! Yup, a turbine can use up to 200 gallons of oil. A wind farm can need 12,000 gallons of oil, replaced every year.
That's nothing. In Norway pieces of wind turbines have been falling off because ... the wind blew them off! "Life in Norway notes that wind and ice have caused panels and covers to fall to the ground. If the wind is so strong that it’s blowing pieces off these things, exactly where is all this junk landing? Is it hitting cars? Hikers? Wildlife?"
Yikes!
Don't you fret. Should a wind turbine blade crash in your backyard you can turn it into ... gummies! The next generation of wind turbine blades could be recycled into gummy bears at the end of their service, scientists have said.
Follow the science.
~ Quijano