Who Cleans Up When a Wind Farm Retires?

[@DM-it2ch]

I wonder...in the 18 years those turbines were running, did they generate as much electricity as it took to produce them, deliver and install them in the first place?? And if you factor in how much energy is going to be used scrapping them, have they ever repaid their own carbon footprint??? I rather think they probably haven't.

[@mikyl-fo8rh]

Great point

[@rogerleonard5351]

Most "green" energy is a scam, including the mining for solar panels and batteries.

[@BWolf00]

@@mikyl-fo8rh 'No No anything is better than oil and coal and nuclear. What we really need to do is put giant free energy structures into the oceans that can be retired and abandoned never to be seen again. That's green energy.' smh I get pissed every time see shit like this, our "virtue" sets us down the path of stupidity without regard to the long term impacts. In North Carolina prime farm land has/is being converted to solar panel farms...the wildlife populations have been already been impacted, and so will our crop productions.

[@bb-fe9ur]

No they don't... It's a proven fact ..it's hard to find due to big tech...

[@chrisyu98]

stop asking hostile questions, you are invading the safe space the left lives. They prefer fantasy and feel good gestures. Reality just gets in the way.

[@SkotiM]

It's funny that new wind farms need to go on new unused land rather than on land already put aside for existing decommissioned wind farms. It's also odd that the towers the windmills are attached to aren't being reused. It's almost like none of the elements of a wind farm are renewable, even the elements that are just as viable today as the day they were built.

[@gdutfulkbhh7537]

Newer wind turbines tend to be a lot larger (the air flows more strongly a little way up, and a larger blade disc captures a lot more energy) so there’s almost no chance of reusing existing masts. Existing concrete bases, unless overspecified, are likely too small. Fortunately, the payback time on a modern wind turbine is miniscule, so it doesn’t matter if the old parts have to be ripped out.

[@MichaelMattison]

Terrible waste

[@jimrobcoyle]

The compound interest on the debt is the goal. Maintenance and its associated trades economy does not make the bank any money.

[@jimrobcoyle]

@@gdutfulkbhh7537 B.S.

[@bb-fe9ur]

@@gdutfulkbhh7537 you are full of lies...

[@AriBenDavid]

Definitely gives meaning to the phrase "renewable energy." They have to be renewed every few yeara.

[@Stefan_Dahn]

Yes, about 20-30 year. Your car's life is half a year for a wind turbine. Can you do a quick math? 😉

[@hellstromcarbunkle8857]

Lie. Renewed less often than reactors need new fuel.

[@batmanlives6456]

Unreliables Sailing ships were retired from hauling goods overseas for the same reasons Unreliability…. Don’t worry the tax payer will pick up the tab

[@hellstromcarbunkle8857]

@@joeyaldente8858 The single biggest reason to replace windmills is not maintenance, but obsolescence.

[@hellstromcarbunkle8857]

@@batmanlives6456 Wrong.Sailing ships were retired because coal and oil power are FASTER, nothing else. Now we find that oil power is unreliable, being too expensive to use on bulk materials. And lo, the sail returns in the form of Magnus turbines.

[@iviaverick52]

I see this farm every time I make a trip to see my inlaws in Cheyenne. The problem with wind farms is they require constant maintenance due to the moving parts, and they don't generate consistent electricity, even in one of the windiest states in the country. They are a novel idea for "green energy" but that's all they are, an idea that's ineffective and unreliable.

[@scottekoontz]

All wind farms are down. Coal plants are clean. None of the coal plants are retired. GOOOOOOOOO COAL!!!! It's so clean.

[@franklotito468]

Wind Turbines make guilt-ridden Liberals feel good.

[@gnrrailroad1531]

Coal is the way to go.

[@shelleyharrop1419]

They also require oil, what is used to clean it up oh machines run on gas

[@shelleyharrop1419]

I did not know they were turbans I d I o t s

[@breakingtoast2255]

put a DO NOT STEAL sign on them and watch them magically disappear

[@paulsergel8161]

Breaking Toast you put a sign on them saying “100% pure copper”

[@georgiojansen7758]

@@paulsergel8161 amazing what those copper people can do

[@deanosslewis]

Ha! Like when homer simpson couldnt get rid of the trampoline....bart put a padlock on it and it was stolen when they turned their back.

[@burnerjack01]

@@georgiojansen7758 If they worked as hard as they worked at stealing, they'd have a good life.

[@darknessblades]

Cant you just hook up a wire to that turbine towards your home, FREE ENERGY, and if you hook it up correctly the Meter will spin backwards, making the electric company pay for "the energy you overproduce"

[@bigwheelsturning]

I worked at a Hydro plant at Snoqualmie Falls in Washington State built in 1899 and the turbines are still in use today and pretty much every day. So don't tell me that those wind turbines can't be upgraded and still used.

[@bitcoinconstitutionalist9252]

Hey, Supergenius, the technological requirements and wear patterns of hydro ARE NOT THE SAME as a hydro power source. You had zero business in a power plant, clearly.

[@the_expidition427]

@@bitcoinconstitutionalist9252 Do you? The company involved in the development and construction of the wind farm just didn't want to bother to upgrade them or apply for grants. The wear patterns for the most part are the same whether a turbine is spun by water or air it just spins the turbine inside and at the end of the day no matter what spins the turbine the wear is the same.

[@FourDollaRacing]

The height and diameter of the wind turbines cannot be upgraded without replacement .... says so in the video.

[@the_expidition427]

@@FourDollaRacing You are right on that part I was talking more on the wear of the turbines themselves

[@bigwheelsturning]

@@bitcoinconstitutionalist9252 Did you read your reply before you hit the comment button?

[@jamesgillespie6278]

The question is the cost of putting them up and the cost of taking them down does that justify the amount of power that they have actually produced

[@rogergibbs2937]

NO.

[@Johnrob1943]

The question is how stringent the laws are. Wyoming won't tolerate big business destroying the land. They have the most stringent reclamation laws in the world. They won't get away with not cleaning up.

[@jamesgillespie6278]

@@Johnrob1943 yeah they will tear them down they will take the concrete out of the ground they will reclaim the land back to where it was but all of this crap will go into a landfill so all they are doing is moving the drunk from one place to another

[@Johnrob1943]

@@jamesgillespie6278 not in Wyoming. In Wyoming, while I was working drilling rigs, if a small patch of oil was on the ground, the company could be fined. The only time the state couldn't go after a company was the company who destroyed an area of Yellowstone, who was out of Canada. Wyoming doesn't go by DC rules, they made their own rules and are pretty strict about enforcing them.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@jamesgillespie6278 " yeah they will tear them down they will take the concrete out of the ground they will reclaim the land back to where it was but all of this crap will go into a landfill..." You just defeated your own argument! If they reclaim the land, put it back to where it was, we win! Using petroleum uses the air we breathe as a landfill... Los Angeles clean air comparison: www.businessinsider.com/photos-stay-at-home-order-reduced-los-angeles-notorious-smog-2020-4

[@jimmyday656]

The bonding is subject to many exemptions that other surety companies do not have. There will be no money to clean up when it comes time. These bonding companies will evaporate just like the joint venture that built the "farm" in the first place.

[@RickDominick69]

So fast forward 2021 and how well did that work? Brown outs blackouts in California. Frozen wind turbines in Texas no power. Oh yes the green New deal

[@emko333]

frozen turbines ? we have turbines in the arctic and in Canada running perfectly fine below -30c and your telling me Americans can't make a turbine run just below freezing? what a shit hole, also your fucking natural gas plants and pipes froze? what the fuck? our pipes work perfectly fine to transport natural gas in any weather condition. Didn't made in China used to be the crap quality now its made in USA trash and dangerous since their stuff won't function with mildly cold temperature.

[@RickDominick69]

@@emko333 . This is what happens when the US government convinces the US population that we have so many jobs in the high-tech industry that we need to bring in foreign workers to take those jobs then our industrial base gets incentives to move their manufacturing processes over to China who then steals the information and patents and then bills these products at a much lower price point and quality wise much lower quality so this is what happens when your government goes awry and should look around your own backyard because they're doing the same thing in Canada now

[@dfw_motorrad1329]

@@emko333 It's Texas. Stuff there has to handle 120+F air temp (49C) regularly. It's not uncommon to have 100 consecutive days of 100+F (38C). They had multiple consecutive days sub-0F (-18C) in a place that very rarely sees 30F (-1C). Everything down there is not built to handle that cold of temperatures because something like that happens once in forever. The last time it got that cold was the Great Blizzard of 1899.

[@donutswan30]

Why do they retire? I thought they were "sustainable" or "renewable?" Turns out they're crap!

[@glaciem6769]

She is a skilled journalist. A real story for a change. Nice. Refreshing. Needed.

[@andrewkirpy4254]

I just can't believe this story got out

[@Dave96z34v2]

Just run to failure seriously.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@andrewkirpy4254 You don't? It's a pro-oil piece, for God's Sake! Of course it got out!

[@justdoesntaddup8620]

@@justsomeguy934 Lol , how is a story about dismantling a wind farm pro oil , seriously , the green industry need to realise the transparency of their own industry is the first step toward sustainability. Trying to hide the truth with deception , cover ups and lies so the industry looks better was outdated by the tobacco company’s 70 years ago.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@justdoesntaddup8620 " how is a story about dismantling a wind farm pro oil , seriously ," You don't see it? The video is a criticism of wind farms - it's highlighting an abandoned wind farm, and all the comments here are shouting "see! renewable energy doesn't work!". That plays right into the hands of oil. Do you possibly think this video is pro-wind? LOL

[@heronimousbrapson863]

This is similar to the problem of orphaned oil and gas wells. Here in Alberta, Canada, it is required that the oil companies clean up their unused wells, but are refusing to do so. It appears that the province's taxpayers are going to foot the bill, and cleaning up oil and gas wells could well be more challenging than dismantling a wind farm, due to the presence of pollution accrued over the years.

[@kenneth9874]

Sounds like your government is weak

[@gillisBR549]

Taxpayers always get stuck

[@lobola956]

Ok well this is America not communist Canada

[@thomasgarbe8354]

petrol is bio-degradeable

[@heronimousbrapson863]

@@thomasgarbe8354 It's also quite toxic.

[@v.e.7236]

I recall what a great thing that wind farm in SoCal was supposed to be, as I had just graduated high school and applied for a job maintaining those turbines, once up. Ended up maintaining the vehicles used to ferry the work crews to/from the sites. Bit of an eye sore these days, sadly.

[@Seawithinyou]

What do you expect when these are made in China!

[@glenbard657]

ferry

[@v.e.7236]

@@glenbard657Ooops! Thanks for the correction.

[@DavidFMayerPhD]

Companies that own them declare bankruptcy and leave junk-piles behind. It is a great tradition of business.

[@noelleonard2498]

Good luck, most are owned by an LLC

[@DavidFMayerPhD]

@@noelleonard2498 I know that. Companies that obtain licenses for wind turbines should be required to leave escrow deposits sufficient for demolition and remediation.

[@PlayDirtyATV]

How about the same for oil and gas? Right crickets. Ohh no a turbine shut down what ever shall we do. Oil spill umm what eves. You hick dumb asses.

[@daviddiehl197]

That's why we then burn their houses down with them in them.

[@bernardthedisappointedowl6938]

@@PlayDirtyATV Good Lord Bryant, what are you talking about? - It must be just awful, with all their radioactive waste, oil contaminated ground and ruined aquifers - Oh, hang on a minute, isn't that something else? ^oo^

[@bamahama707]

It ALWAYS comes down to the money. Surprised?

[@jackfenn7524]

Yes, and most of that money is confiscated by the government, which we are forced to pay as taxes.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@jackfenn7524 "Yes, and most of that money is confiscated by the government, which we are forced to pay as taxes." And you're talking about the trillions in free subsidies that oil gets, right? Or free military escorts for tankers? Or occupying Afghanistan for 30 years? Do you think Exxon gets a bill for that on their desk? US oil subsidies exceeds US military spending: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hobEinuKhr-JgKc Oil subsidies in trillions of dollars according to the IMF: www.imf.org/~/media/Files/Publications/WP/2019/WPIEA2019089.ashx

[@1STGeneral]

And California

[@daniell.6463]

Surprised people don't work for free? Not in the slightest.

[@oldmech619]

I remember back in the 1950s in Texas. There were old abandoned oil derricks still standing. History returns with the abandoned windmills

[@justsomeguy934]

It's still happening today, except the oil companies are expecting the US taxpayer to clean up after them.

[@penelopelgoss2520]

041721 We STILL HAVE the rundown non-running oil derricks in California, namely Los Angeles city and county that continue to leak and the owners have literally walked away and abandoned the sites. Last I heard the federal and state legal issues are working to get the owners back to the sites and the abandoned wells capped and rigs/derricks removed and the land needs to be cleaned up. Several wells are located in the midst of neighborhoods with the oil leeching into the ground and poisoning the ground and water. And the smell, yuck!!!

[@samlee1546]

The irony in this video is you can see on some of the turbines where the oil has been leaking from the gearbox. Lol

[@justsomeguy934]

@@samlee1546 A gearbox leak in nothing compared to burning something 100% of the time to make electricity. Stop letting the oil industry distract you from their damage.

[@samlee1546]

@@justsomeguy934 I'm not letting them distract me but you cannot lubricate this thing, smelt the steel in the tower, or make the fiberglass in the blades without hydrocarbons. That's not even counting the amount of concrete that's these things need for the base to hold them up.

[@Electronzap]

They need to make it so the blades can point upwards. Then you power it and fly it to the junk yard.

[@jameskeith7608]

Just junk the lot of them now.

[@georgeb00th2]

Why not replace the old tower with fewer new ones? Have they mined out all the wind in that area? The wiring and transmission lines are already there. It looks like the energy companies make money (tax rebates and rate hikes) by building new instead of upgrading old. Follow the money...

[@victorzeferino7008]

Just not profitable, if it was well maintained as stated, it would be possible to replace for a more efficient wind turbine, bit not efficient enough to have profit.

[@chevychase3103]

@@victorzeferino7008 to not a viable argument! Take down old put up new! You were technology more efficient!

[@radarlove007]

You're right "Follow the money."

[@imzjustplayin]

@@victorzeferino7008 I think the issue is they don't want to spend money redeveloping the site. Otherwise I can't think of a reason why they wouldn't redevelop the site since it's obviously windy enough there to produce electricity.

[@erbenton07]

The wiring won't handle the power of the new windmills and so it would need to be replaced

[@db-yh4tj]

Don't forget about the tons of concrete in the ground that kept the damn things from blowing over to begin with.

[@justdoesntaddup8620]

Generally about 300 - 400 tons of cement and steel that will be there FOREVER. Have a look at the U-tube building a wind turbine, none of them 400 ton foundations will ever be removed.

[@billygunn7180]

rebar, too. Crazy amount.

[@billygunn7180]

@@justdoesntaddup8620 I saw one. They didn't tell you what it was, at first. It was an obscene amount of concrete and rebar, not worth the damage. They don't even pay for themselves, before they break down.

[@justdoesntaddup8620]

@@billygunn7180 the other part of that is it’s 400 tons of rock and gravel removed crushed and repositioned away from a river bed or quarry or mountain environment somewhere. That’s without counting the 300 tons of copper steel and aluminium and paint etc , that all comes from the environment.

[@billygunn7180]

@@justdoesntaddup8620 the only reason they allow that is corruption. Politicians get paid off and they give them subsidies. Otherwise, people wouldn't invest in something like that. They don't even pay for themselves, before they break down.

[@HalfWarrior]

Doing maintenance work on turbines was interesting and constant in Tehachapi;years ago when I worked there. Not for the faint of heart in climbing the damn things

[@davidteasdale1]

Turban! Brilliant.

[@emko333]

Sikhs will remove the turbans in their homes

[@marcuspetford1098]

I have a windy turban and boy is it embarrassing.

[@P.G.Wodelouse]

is that an American thing or just this video????????

[@waterpotato1667]

@@P.G.Wodelouse Nah, here in America "turbine" rhymes with "line."

[@WCGwkf]

@@P.G.Wodelouse no they're saying it wrong

[@scorchedearth1451]

Wind turbines have huge foundations, very deep into the ground. Would they really get all the concrete out? That's a lot of concrete and rebar.

[@ciaranharrington4141]

Why would you take that out, topsoil will layer over it and the grass will grow

[@scorchedearth1451]

@@ciaranharrington4141 Maybe in the future they want to build a city, a subway, sewers etc. Someone will dig in the ground and think "What f*cking moron sell me this property which is now useless to me?". But maybe they put another turbine on top?

[@Ham549]

@@scorchedearth1451 then they will burrow through the stuff.

[@scorchedearth1451]

@@Ham549 That is more expensive than digging through the Mount Everest.

[@GlennLittleford]

@@ciaranharrington4141 it would be like any big rock under the ground.

[@mauriceclemens3286]

The owner should be required to remove them when decommissioned.

[@justsomeguy934]

I agree! Decomissioning costs should be included! How about nuclear power plants and oil refineries?

[@benjamingamble2407]

@@justsomeguy934 Privatize the profits, socialize the cleanup.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@benjamingamble2407 "Privatize the profits, socialize the cleanup." Explain - WHY would society pay to clean up something while the polluter keeps the profits? I say make the users of a good or service PAY the entire cost of that good or service. Don't push the cost of a product on my when I don't use that product.

[@portnuefflyer]

@@justsomeguy934 Costs of removing defunct turbines is huge, much higher than was originally estimated, and that's why old farms are becoming an eyesore when the developer bails out.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@portnuefflyer You can repower a turbine tower. You're also not comparing the other costs associated with traditional fuels, nor the pollution and military presence required to escort oil from certain places in the world.

[@backcountyrpilot]

I backed out of a Verizon cell tower deal 20 years ago because they were going to leave an enormous concrete piling in the ground when the tower would eventually be removed. This was on a commercial lot and would have prevented constricting a building later. I see this as much less of an issue if the land will likely be used for grazing, hunting, ATV trail riding, etc into the foreseeable future. However, as a pilot, I’d sure like to see a blinking red light on each of them!

[@jamesyoung3341]

Not enough energy to keep a blinking light on 24x7, lol

[@denisek292]

Doesn’t Verizon pay six-figures yearly to rent your plot of land?

[@happydays8171]

As a former contractual worker for Westinghouse, I can say, the steam generators have to have their bearings replaced every 2 yrs, and completely rebuilt every 4yrs. I don't see how normal maintenance routines couldn't be carried out on wind turbines. Unless their Govt subsidies run out at 20yrs, and they are no longer profitable.

[@paulhorn2665]

Well I think your are right.

[@newsgetsold]

But who is going to pay for it? Wind is nowhere near as profitable as the turbines for coal/gas/nuclear power. Economically does not stack up.

[@dirtfarmer7472]

We’re going to be stuck, who is the government. You & me.

[@rogerleonard5351]

Don't forget the kickbacks all politicians receive in the cost of "renewable" energy.

[@kenneth9874]

The blades themselves give out due to degradation

[@MrThenry1988]

The company goes out of business as soon as subsidies stop.

[@scottrayhons2537]

Tim ...you hit the nail on the head when you sais that!

[@mdv9416]

My guess is it is only profitable when our taxes make it profitable thru subsidies.

[@BigDogCountry]

The TAXPAYER. Now if we could put wind farms in DC, Congress would solve all our energy needs.

[@cattycorner8]

Best idea of heard! Gets my vote!

[@gravelydon7072]

Way too much hot air there. They'd have to build them double strength. ;-)

[@TubesForNoobs]

Do your self a favor and look up the electricity output from wind solar coal and nuclear, and by that alone, tell me what will be most beneficial to society

[@boatguy64]

@@TubesForNoobs nuke. No comparison. Just need to open Yuca Mountain storage facility. The most investigated piece of real estate on earth. Cost will drop further. As plants need not store spent fuel rods on site

[@kurtcpi5670]

I worked for a company that put up a Wi-Fi mesh network for a city. The funding for the project was federal grant money (taxes). The cost was about 1.5 million. In order to complete the mesh, trees had to be trimmed, power had to be installed, antennas had to be aimed, plus the backend monitoring had to be set up. The installation went just great. - Then the maintenance started. Lightning killed a few radios. Traffic accidents and wind took down the poles where the radios were mounted. Normal failures occurred over time. There was no money to maintain the thing. I've seen this same thing occur several times within the 50 or so mile radius of our small community. It's understandable why universities get excited about doing this stuff. They want to study feasibility, longevity, performance, etc. But they can't afford to keep it going. That city Wi-Fi is now a $1,500,000 eyesore. It's non-functional, and never will be again. Just sayin'.

[@sw8741]

The city I live in did the same thing, free internet for everyone! Within a few years it was gone. Complete waste of tax payers money but someone sold them on the idea and made some big money! And more than likely there was a State or Federal grant behind it. "No man ever went broke overestimating the ignorance of the American public." ~ P. T. Barnum and.... "The common man, no matter how sharp and tough, actually enjoys having the wool pulled over his eyes, and makes it easier for the puller." ~ P. T. Barnum

[@anihtgenga4096]

West Virginia copper thieves wonder how much copper is in a wind turbine.

[@michaelmccarthy4615]

A lot. But much harder to get... plus running ones are energized.

[@ericvickery6357]

hah I'm sure the meth heads here in GA are wondering the same thing

[@t84t748748t6]

unscreww the bolts at the bottem wait for a good wind and collect

[@martinlumber]

Arkansas wants to know too.

[@scooter2kool173]

A Nihtgenga The humanoids here in Indiana would need to know aswell

[@joemahan6080]

"you have to realize with clean energy, its not free from environmental impact" that is the last thing they said...That is the first thing we need to look at...sounds like Pelosi saying 'lets pass this Bill so we can find out what's in it'....pretty dumb!

[@jamesborden9343]

Coal is 150 year old technology

[@jamesborden9343]

Nope

[@donsturtevant2396]

@David Erickson oil industry is filthy and full of disasters everywhere...platform spills, tanker accidents, well fires, refinery fires, pipeline spills, fracking, ground water contamination, etc, etc, etc

[@matthewmcintosh4925]

@@donsturtevant2396 you might want to look up the toxic waste your green energy actually produces. Why do you think these wind turbines never reach their designed lifespan. Not to mention the wildlife they kill. Funny how people belive what they want without actually checking for themselves. Look up rare earth production and why most countries don't want to mine these necessary resources in their backyard.

[@roguetuber4377]

@@jamesborden9343 "nope" does not make a good debate

[@deanwiliams8374]

Looking through the KZbin videos for the one that described the composition of the blades, and how the blades could not be recycled.. Also, the amount of space the blades required in a “dump”.

[@UCCLdIk6R5ECGtaGm7oqO-TQ]

It's not that the materials cannot be recycled, it's usually because it's not economically sensible to do so, just as with your own daily contributions to landfill.

[@SirHackaL0t.]

How much of a coal power station is reused? How about an oil powered power station? Or Nuclear? Don’t believe what they tell you when it’s shown in isolation.

[@dalenulik5622]

Blades are a massive ring of steel with many drilled holes? The rest depending on age is either fiberglass/ epoxy, or some newer ones. Carbon/ epoxy resins. Only the steel could be recycled. But you would have to separate it from the fiberglass. And that would cost more then the scrap steel is worth. The copper in generators would be recycled.

[@straightpride442]

So now we have to look at this VISUAL POLLUTION. Of was once a beautiful landscape. 😊

[@tinkmarshino]

the problem is, We can not expect a large company to tell the truth any more.. that is why the laws are so ambiguous and hard to understand. because no matter what a companies word is not good anymore.. it is expected they will say one thing and do another.. You cannot legislate morality! either they are honest and should stay in business or dishonest and should be shut down.. But that would mean we would need honest politicians.. You see the spirol were in.. all we the people can do is hold on and hope the crash isn't to bad..

[@Norm475]

And you think you can trust the government to tell the truth? They will lie more than any private corporation.

[@tinkmarshino]

@@Norm475 there one and the same any more Norm.. But then you knew that.. All I can say is I am glad I am old and my kids don't know any better..

[@Norm475]

@@tinkmarshino I know exactly what you mean. I will be 79 in June and sometimes I talk to friends about where this country is heading and I tell them I will welcome death when it comes. I really don't want to die because for an old guy I am not in too bad of shape. I don't know how people can think we can keep running up trillion-dollar deficits and there will not be a reckoning. Good luck to you.

[@tinkmarshino]

@@Norm475 I am with you brother 70 next month.. I don't mind death.. like you I welcome it .. my heart can't take much more of this corruption.. Carry on my brother.. see ya on the other side!

[@maxpayne2574]

Never could hell the RR's and oil co. have been trashing the land since they started.

[@marcusmiller948]

This is great reporting, thank you.

[@PyroRob69]

Imagine that. Xcel Energy, the company in CO who has bought and paid for the Public Utilities Commission. This land owner will get screwed. Oh, and drove by there about two weeks ago, and it's still there.

[@Michael_A_MN]

Is it still there in 2021?

[@whereswaldo5740]

And they now have UN international laws in place for imminent domain that they can take your land if it will generate more tax revenue. So they can just take your land and do this. And thanx Obummer Biden they can build a hideous tower apartment complex bring in illegals and alter your voting district while taxing you to pay for it.

[@AndroidGuru13]

So nosey

[@SlayerofFiction]

@@whereswaldo5740 Waldo is a Moron

[@whereswaldo5740]

@@SlayerofFiction And a speaker of truth. These things I stated are all fact. Jack.

[@benzielke7149]

Here in south Texas where we have thousands of these the blades wear out and are made of a material that is so dense they are still figuring out a way to get rid of it. There are fields with piles of them just sitting there.

[@gromm93]

Yes! That notoriously dense material known as fibreglass...

[@benzielke7149]

@@gromm93 there's a little more to it than that. The particular "fiberglass" they use to make the turbine blades is an extra high density type which makes it really hard to do anything with it once it's original purpose has been exhausted.

[@robertely686]

Sounds like a threat to your national security!

[@benzielke7149]

@@robertely686 whatever that means. How about you say what you mean instead of replying to some random post with cryptic bullshit. Threat? How is a big pile of fiberglass shit sitting in a field somewhere a threat to "my" national security? Why do you say "your"? Are you not a US citizen? If not, please shut the fuck up

[@paulypisspants7340]

anyone who's ever driven I10 through palm springs can see about half the windmills are derelict... they just get left out there to rust...

[@justsomeguy934]

No, often wind turbines don't turn because they don't need the energy. Unless the local grid has storage, they don't put wear on the turbine if there's no place for the energy to go.

[@Withnail1969]

@@justsomeguy934 the ones that dont turn seem to be burned out on the video i saw

[@justsomeguy934]

@@Withnail1969 I drive by a wind farm fairly often, there's one in my state (as well as a solar farm). I've never seen a turbine abandoned or burned out. Clearly the ones in the video have been abandoned. The video is showing a farm not used anymore, just like oil derricks and pump jacks sit abandoned. The wind farm near me has hundreds of turbines and they're always turning when I drive by.

[@Withnail1969]

@@justsomeguy934 well here in the Uk there are plenty that don't work. but of course you're a paid shill for green energy, i've seen your posts all over on comments sections. like i say, the turbines that dont work were burned out on the video i saw. they dont turn because they are broken, not because the power company is randomly 'turning them off', is my conclusion.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@Withnail1969 "dont turn because they are broken, not because the power company is randomly 'turning them off', is my conclusion." Your conclusion is wrong; the grid has no storage for the most part, The turbines are turned off when their energy is not needed to save wear and tear, just like any other generator. Your local utility goes through *tremendous* variability of energy demand during the day. They turn on and off certain energy generators to meet demand. Wind turbines are just another source they can turn off.

[@donaldappelhof2059]

Don’t worry, we the tax payers will take care of it.😉

[@davesy6969]

Decommissioning a wind farm is child's play and costs peanuts when compared to a nuclear powerplant. All gas, oil, nuclear, chemical plants etc. Should have similar bond or an ongoing fund to clean up once the site is decommissioned.

[@takinitoutdoors450]

@@davesy6969 I believe nuclear plants have to pay into a fund for decommissioning, might be worth digging into. I agree there should be insurance in place for these things

[@johnmulder4121]

Got that right, we have all the fossil fuel we need, and we have to look at this joke!!

[@Gcanno]

Just like they do when there's Oil Contamination, Deep Water Horizon anyone 4.9 MILLION Barrels into the Ocean one of the Largest Environmental Disaster in United States History. BP waited a Years and with Conservative Support and Backed by Conservative Placed Judges began Litigating away their responsibility and lowering their Financial responsibility and Letting Taxpayers pick up the Bill. (In BP's Final $20 Billion Gulf Settlement, U.S. Taxpayers Subsidize $15.3 Billion) Forbes article

[@donaldappelhof2059]

@@Gcanno I believe that the largest oil spill in history was off the California coast. Look it up. By the way. It was caused by Mother Nature and is leaking to this day.

[@tombradshaw5164]

Wind turbines - destroying the natural aesthetic beauty of the land! What utter lunacy!

[@erniew5805]

come live in an oilfield .what aesthetic beauty LOL. plus you have flares lighting up the night sky.

[@tombradshaw5164]

@@erniew5805 'come live in an oilfield?' I guess in correct English that means "come AND live in an oilfield". The word "and" is a conjunction - it's used to join parts of sentences together. See ya'. I have no more time for English language semi-literates such as yourself.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@tombradshaw5164 " I have no more time for English language semi-literates such as yourself." Have nothing better to do but play grammar police? Shallow life, please visit Reddit, you'll have lots of fun there. When you want to discuss the topic of the video, put your dictionary back down and come back.

[@Veed3300]

There is no better example of natural and aesthetic landscape as Chernobyl. 10,000 years of long experiments of effects of isotope decay on human and animal body. You are a moron!

[@Joelcharlson]

I was approached several years ago to put wind turbines on Iowa farm land. There was some escrow of funds to decommission the towers. I was concerned about the effects of inflation on both the rent paid and the amount escrowed in 40 years. Also how well would the ground be restored to tillable crop land. Federal regulations might help land owners feel more confident in long term leases to utilities.

[@sheilaanderson321]

And now the solar companies are making the rounds in Iowa. Lots of concerns.

[@gregiles908]

"only sign the Contract that YOUR Lawyer has amended"

[@thomasgarbe8354]

@@sheilaanderson321 with toxic cadmium photocells

[@1978garfield]

I don't think there is any problem the federal government can't make worse.

[@thomasgarbe8354]

@@1978garfield that's why we all want a small government.

[@utuberdave]

Who would’ve guessed Wyoming would have so many Turbans! 😉

[@ampex189]

Lol I was thinking the same thing!

[@robertdog]

There are far more than you think. The government will import them and pay for them to live right next door to you.

[@pattijesinoski1958]

Wasn't it T Boone Pickens that was so for these? Now he's dead and land destruction and waste from the windmill bone yards.

[@justsomeguy934]

@fladave99 Mills "Windmills are guaranteed for 25 years, they last ten" Prove your statement, please.

[@davidmoore2601]

T boone Pickins had a plan for natural gas. He wanted to run natural gas hybrid vehicles this country did nothing about it

[@davidmoore2601]

Oh I'm sorry Biden shutdown the pipe line and killed the natural gas fields we have

[@justsomeguy934]

@@davidmoore2601 "Oh I'm sorry Biden shutdown the pipe line and killed the natural gas fields we have" Biden killed the pipeline, I don't know about NG sources.

[@gmjent5671]

If I remember right he had changed his mind and said wind wasn’t a viable energy source before he passed . They are nothing but landscape pollution in my opinion

[@dennismcgowan4059]

My two cents- oil and gas wells, mines and windmills should be mandated to put the land the way they found it. And how do we make sure they clean up after themselves? Before they start a project, the company has to put so much money in an account that will fund the cleanup afterwards. I'm sure many projects wouldn't get off the ground if they were forced to do this. The reason they aren't cleaning up after themselves- its less money to litigate in the judicial system for years and years than do the right thing and clean up.

[@cheltboy]

These wind farms have a massive environmental footprint.

[@johnbeckman8916]

5:24_ How can you call it "Renewable Energy" if it doesn't produce energy any more?

[@rogergibbs2937]

It never was a renewable power source

[@justsomeguy934]

@@rogergibbs2937 "It never was a renewable power source" Um, sunshine and wind are free and happen all the time where I live. Oil? Not so much.

[@justsomeguy934]

Did the sun not come up today where you live? It did where I am.

[@rogergibbs2937]

@@justsomeguy934 It is the night here, so what if the sun does come up in the morning, it will disappear 12 hrs later. What is your point?

[@justsomeguy934]

@@rogergibbs2937 The point is the sun will rise today, and can provide free energy when humans want it the most - daytime. That's reliable. It may be intermittent, but it's reliable. Your had your terms incorrect.

[@borisb1831]

A turban is what Sikhs wear on their head, a turbine is what this video was about. BINE not BIN

[@grigorirasputin9507]

Soooo, it was not Osama Bine Laden? 0_o

[@borisb1831]

@@grigorirasputin9507 What?

[@MrT79shakeshake]

Boris Bagryanskiy cannot like this comment enough.

[@mikemckeaney6714]

Actually the word turbine is pronounced "tur-bin". (the e is silent). I worked in the power industry for 44 years, and turbines have been around for over a hundred years.

[@borisb1831]

@@mikemckeaney6714 This comes up if you are an American, its true but annoying. It would be better if everyone pronounced it as it should be.

[@1001Hobbies]

"We're going to build a power plant that will have to be shut down and replaced in 15 to 18 years." Do you think that would ever fly? Of course not......but they want you to swallow that with wind turbines. Will you?

[@Stefan_Dahn]

Compared to your car life, for a wind turbine this is 6 month. Now, do you drive a Ford T?

[@1001Hobbies]

@@Stefan_Dahn - Compare apples to apples. The wind turbines are to replace power plants and provide electricity for homes and businesses that the coal fired power plants used to make power for. So, building wind turbines is equal to building a power plant, not a car. Coal fired power plants have lasted 50, 60 years and more. Hydro power plants even longer. A wind turbine can be dead in 15 years, and is not expected to go more than 25, and is averaging around 18 - 22 years. Then you have to BURY the giant fiberglass blades. They are so big they have to be cut into 3 pieces in order to fit on diesel powered semi-trucks to haul them away to a landfill. Over the next 4 years 8,000 wind turbines, with 3 blades each (24,000 blades) will have to be cut up into 3 pieces each (72,000 pieces) and buried.

[@Stefan_Dahn]

@@1001Hobbies I operate wind turbines since 1995 and my oldest is from 1992, wich is good for another decade. Here in Germany it is prohibited to "store" this waste in landfill. General rule is, that what can be recycled, has to be recycled. The whole turbines is steel and copper. The blades ar mainly glasfiber reinforced plastic (polyester or epoxy), just like yachts or surfboards. They are cut into pieces of 1-2 m (3-7 ft.) and transported to the recyling company, there grinded into small pieces. Then then this can be burned in a power plant like other (plastic) waste. I suggest that you would contact your governour to suggest it should be prohibited NOT to recycle as much as possible, as general rule and law. The landfill problem is older than wind turbines. There are better ways to solve this problem. PS: In Germany a guy with a Tesla Model S has now 1,300,000 km on the odometer. Now, how many farting cars can do that?

[@1001Hobbies]

@@Stefan_Dahn - Thank you for that information. That is very intriguing. While I know the rest of the wind turbine is recyclable, here in the US, we are told there is no recycle option, currently, for the blades. Of course the industry here is aware of how you deal with them there. Why wouldn't they look around the world to see what other countries are doing with them? Here's an article that explains what is done with the blades here. www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-05/wind-turbine-blades-can-t-be-recycled-so-they-re-piling-up-in-landfills As for the Tesla, there are not too many people in the world who even drive that far in the amount of time the Tesla has been owned. How old is it? I drive 24,000 km per year. It would take me 54 years to drive that far. How was that Tesla used?

[@Stefan_Dahn]

@@1001Hobbies www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/mkk13h/2014_tesla_model_s_reaches_13_million_kilometers/ This is an auto-traslated german report on this guy and his car. Basically this guy made a load of money with stocks and now with his enough-money just drives around hundreds of kilometers each day, to show the world what is possible with EVs nowadays. He got some drivetrain and battery swaps on warranty from Tesla in the beginning. The battery and drivetrain he uses now have something like 600-700,000 km on the odometer. And counting. 😉

[@thomasgarbe8354]

timely information! As photovoltaic is the other branch of renwables, I do wonder how they are going to be cleaned up. Owing to their content of cadmium, which is indestructible and unpleasantly toxic, this needs urgent settlement.

[@pablopicaro7649]

Reminds me of all the Oil Well Pump Jack abandon and not running by the hundreds and maybe thousands I have seen.

[@davidhollowood6580]

Hundreds of thousands.we were “finding” forgotten, abandoned wells and pipelines in Louisiana, usually because of the ecological damage they cause when they fail.

[@lantrick]

10's of thousands in Texas alone.

[@AllanI3374]

There is no discussion! Thee ones who made the mess/money CLEAN IT UP.

[@BillieBee_]

But what if the people who made the mess don’t exist anymore?

[@SirHackaL0t.]

Did you hear about the pipelines that carry oil that leak all over the place? Who cleans that up?

[@vanlepthien6768]

Think about all the abandoned gas and oil wells. They need to have bonding and similar restrictions.

[@kylecasetta4091]

No because like it or not the oil is going to be used . Manufacturing, agriculture, construction all depend on oil and lots of it. 90 percent of modern life revolves around oil.

[@seanlander9321]

In Australia, land owners are slowly waking up to the big con that they have to clean up decrepit turbines, and the costs of that are far more than the rent they received from the private turbine developers. Derrrrr.

[@OmegaTou]

Gonna suck when the coming hyperinflation makes all of those cleanup bonds become totally worthless. Granted we will have MUCH bigger problems to deal with at that time, but it is certainly something these planners never consider when they establish their rules.

[@jaredhouston4223]

that's what I was thinking

[@MrShobar]

You don't understand G-O bonds.

[@OmegaTou]

@@MrShobar ANY bond denominated in dollars would become virtually worthless in an environment of hyperinflation.

[@TWOofEACH]

Open up the keystone pipeline. It's way cheaper way safer and way more reliable. But that makes to much sense for the current regime.

[@richardrodriguez1742]

Government regulations, there goes the profits & feasibility of wind + all the bird deaths.

[@donaldtarr2332]

Been through many wind farms, NEVER saw a dead bird. Or a live bird, for that matter. I have a strong suspicion the dramatic photos of dead birds are staged; the blades of these wind turbines could easily be walked through by a slow human. No bird could be killed, the photos are staged.

[@billygunn7180]

@@donaldtarr2332 photos? I've seen the videos.

[@billygunn7180]

There is no profits, unless you count the CEOs.

[@brendahooten5519]

Ineffective and an eyesore on the landscape!

[@jeromebarry1741]

"Renewable Energy is not free from impact". Cute.

[@jluvs2ride]

True though.

[@UrMomGoes2College]

@@jluvs2ride don't offend captain planet. He might get triggered lol

[@Stefan_Dahn]

Cute comment, sweetheart.

[@jonathantan2469]

I work in the rail sector and some of our biggest clients are from the mining industry. There has been an increase in mining for minerals used to make renewable & green technologies; copper, iron, aluminium, silica, lithium, and even natural gas & smelter-grade coal.

[@m.redleg252]

@@jonathantan2469 Yet only 1/3 of aluminum is recycled. I wonder why that is.

[@terenceiutzi4003]

The pollution created by them can never be cleaned up!

[@jameskoch7190]

If the “wind” isn’t blowing, it doesn’t exist! Wind is air movement, if the air isn’t moving, guess what, no wind.

[@FSXgta]

and she can't spell turbine 🤣

[@amyrichard3203]

They build them in windy places....

[@jameskoch7190]

@@amyrichard3203 And your point is?

[@jeffwolf8018]

I live in Massachusetts and I've seen these wind tunnels sitting dead some for many decades. It's a very expensive ordeal to take one of those things down. Many poor places can't afford it. Specially when they fail just a few years after they go up.

[@snakerstran9101]

Translation: The startup investment money and government grants have dried up.

[@joewilson2258]

Thank God as none of them are actually any better than bird killers as well as disturbing any wild life near them .

[@KlodFather]

@@joewilson2258 - Birds are evil. Chop them all to cole slaw LOL Behold the blade of the Grim Reaper ! It slices it dices and makes mountains of cole slaw.

[@SirHackaL0t.]

@@joewilson2258 Compared to buildings? Cats? There are some great infographics showing the numbers of birds killed by cats is about 2 billion a year.

[@jonathantan2469]

As a windmill ages, it gets more expensive to maintain & replace parts, especially when they are spread out & in remote locations. The more recent models generate more power per structure. So, when the cost of servicing them exceeds the revenue generated, they get shut down.

[@gscott5778]

Interesting how many critics there are on this. Please tell us you dreamers - what energy source doesn't have an impact on the environment? Solar - those panels break down and stop functioning especially when storms damage them - those panels have a lot more exotic materials than a wind turbine AND they only work in the day time when there is enough sunlight. Petroleum based fuels, emissions and the damage to the ground from pumping it out (Fracking IS a real problem) as well as spills. Plus petroleum and natural gas are limited. Water run turbines? Yeah building dams is a problem, tidal driven turbines = unknown impact of the environment in the waters where they are place. ALL SOURCES OF ENERGY HAVE DOWN SIDES and they all eventually wear out, or the supplies run out OR they create toxic waste (spent fuel rods) that create disposal nightmares. It comes down to balancing the impact and costs vs out put.

[@oneminutefarming9521]

G Scott Well said G Scott rather have any of theses than NUCLER which is the path the UK wishes to go down

[@Nicholas-f5]

Conservation like LED lighting and efficiency is the way to begin and to retire legacy, costly taxpayer funded fossil and nuclear plants.

[@oldman5705]

Hydro power is about as cheap a source for electric as any other. Water runs free all the time and dam structures can be maintained fairly cheap also. Now get rid of all the high cost of having to transport the electric to the high population areas and /or charge them for the transport cost and maintenance.

[@quoththeraven5631]

@@oneminutefarming9521 You are against nuclear energy because you do not understand it. Nuclear energy is the safest, cleanest, and most efficient form of energy in existence.

[@Egress.]

Quoth TheRaven Safe, until something goes wrong. Not to mention we still dont have a good way of storing nuclear waste. Uranium salt reactors and fusion reactors are a few new ideas that may work safer and better

[@georgemanthe65]

There are no negative effects from these beautiful scenic wind farms that we are allowed to speak about. They're also bird friendly.

[@rossie273]

i believe that the newer models have little nests attached to the blades WEEEeeeeeeee

[@boatguy64]

@GeorgeManthe SERIOUSLY Do ANY of you LEFTIST indoctrinated mind numbingly ignorant fools realize it takes MORE energy to build, install, maintain And eventually dismantle thus restoring the land to previous state, than these monuments to stupidity can produce in thier lifetimes? Along with the oil used to maintain the moving parts is brought in by the barrel. The bearings are MADE to leak by design. Most likely ending up in the soil. I though you ALL were AGAINST that? Or ONLY if the EVIL oil co does it? Take just the blades for example. They are fiberglass. Resin is made from oil. Gel coat, paint, fillers, and other chemicals used to produce are ALL petroleum based. So you have the workers drive to work daily to build these parts. Gotta INCLUDE that. They work in a shop with lights & compressors & big fan. Lots of other equipment. Same with the metal parts that connect the blade to your turbine. ALL THAT is JUST to get a blade built. Takes hundreds of man hours. Overhead crane to pull it from the mold. They get sanded and prepped like a car for paint. Then gallons & gallons of urethane paint is applied. Sprayed. They Need be wrapped in bubble Pac & plastic. Loaded on trucks. Again, heavy blades loaded on big trailers. Let's not forget they had to build a Building to build the blades. Can't always find a big enough Building for building fan blades longer than a 🚛 semi trailer. They must be trucked to the site. Followed by and proceeded by escort vehicles. 3xs. Lifted in to position by a crane burning petrol. WHAT does THAT add up to? Repeat for ALL OTHER components.

[@gerald4027]

@@boatguy64.it is all a tax revenue scam.

[@WalkingOneLegAtATime]

😂

[@maryfries2147]

And the low frequency noise and the ground current is awesome

[@julianm9831]

In germany, the company is required to put up securites. They only get the permission to build, when the dismantling is already paid up in front.

[@civildiscourse2000]

It's been decades since the idea of "cradle to grave" resposibility was proposed for all manner of consumer products. We're still letting business reap unencumbered profit from turning raw materials into waste and pollution. Indeed the shorter the cycle, the higher the return.

[@mx2000]

Well, it is basically impossible to build new turbines in Germany anyway, thanks to massive nimby-ism.

[@jimb9369]

Just ask AOC, she has an answer for everything!

[@dufus2273]

if her brains were dynamite, she wouldn't have enough to blow her nose.

[@kevenc4843]

At least she is 100000000 more patriotic then the wolf in sheep fur Treasonous Trump who capitulates to an N Korea and Iran. And China. Pro Russian Trump sold USA to his Boss Putin.Making American FAIL AGAIN!

[@jimb9369]

@@kevenc4843 - are you actually as stupid as your post indicates? How do you think President Trump capitulated to NK or Iran? Obama, much like several of his predecessors ignored KN completely instead of stopping them before they developed the bomb. President Obama sent 5 Billion in Cash to Iran and signed the assinine treaty with them. Name one thing that is Pro Russia! Are you bipolar or just stupid?

[@burnerjack01]

@@kevenc4843 She want to bankrupt the nation. How, exactly is that patriotic?

[@burnerjack01]

Dammit! I just replied to a bot/sock puppet. Kevin C has NO content. An NPC. I should have known. No actual person would post such nonsense. Probably an Iranian or NoKo bot farm product. When a post coming from an entity like that, "unpatriotic" immediately translates into "As patriotic and pro-America as is humanly possible".

[@coreyabraham3112]

My question on the situation is I have seen a massive amount of concrete base in the ground holding these things up I sure hope they are going to take those out of the ground as well

[@jasinere35]

there is a vid showing the turbines being pulled down with base still attached

[@RealMav1]

Nope. The concept below 4 feet will remain forever

[@DigbyOdel-et3xx]

Average wind turbine uses,800 tons of concrete and thousands of pounds of steel rebar in its base foundation.

[@joewinch7548]

Why bother? The buried concrete out in the middle of a prairie causes no harm.

[@Frankie-c5x]

No

[@ickster23]

If this was in Canada, it would be the taxpayer paying to clean it up. Not only clean it up, but at a cost that would far exceed the actual clean-up cost as it would be done by a government agency. 😕

[@gwarlow]

It is almost always the taxpayer that pays for the mess left behind by closed mines, factories etc. This applies to many countries, not just Canada. It shouldn’t be this way, but it is.

[@emko333]

@@gwarlow that's why countries that have state run energy sector do so well, the profits go to the state and enrich the country and they have the ability later to clean up any problems. Corporations will setup shell business make wells and then when the well is done they will bankrupt the company so they won't need to spend money.

[@R.U.1.2.]

Sorry, this information is not entirely accurate. The clean-up is handled through a bidding contest. The lowest bid wins the contract, government employees do not do the dismantling per se.

[@thebookofbus]

It's not a turban its a turbine. How can you mispronounce it so many times.

[@pah9]

Billions wasted. Wait till you see what we do with old electric car batteries.

[@Stefan_Dahn]

Did you know what happens to the farting cars?

[@jonathantan2469]

Meh... ship them to third world countries... along with those old iPhones & broken TVs. Out of sight, out of mind...

[@keithharley9729]

Should be the environmentalists job. They were the ones who pushed this stupid idea..

[@andrewkirpy4254]

Wrong THE DEEP STATE encourages stupid people to believe that this is the future while ripping all the tax payers oofff and that make you feel guilty for turning on a light switch

[@DavidVining1]

But, our politicians think that the energy is now "Green" and "free" once the turbine is up and running.

[@jthepickle7]

"Green" only if turbines last, in office, as long as politicians.

[@jessepender5239]

I watched to the end just waiting to see these next level energy producing head wraps that kept being mentioned

[@prw479]

Such a green option......to someone's wallet.

[@bartvandenpoel2469]

Most wind turbines contain big amounts of steel, copper and other metals that are quite valuable. The value of these metals is most of the time bigger than the cost of disassembling these things.

[@yarpos]

cant take the good stuff without taking the bad stuff, unless its the usual renewables cherry picking of "solutions". Better have a plan for the glass/carbon fibre epoxy blade material , large amounts of oil and 40 tons of concrete and reinforcing. If the fate of all the genius tidal power schemes is anything to go by these will just be left to rot.

[@JohnJ469]

@@yarpos Google for decommissioned wind farms, they're already being left to rot. Have been for years.

[@vincentrobinette1507]

about the only non recyclable parts are the blades, the nacelle, and the hub cone. all the machinery and electrical components can be recycled. The blades are still a lot of debris to plow into a land fill. If you've ever seen a blade up close, they're HUGE!!!

[@JohnJ469]

@@vincentrobinette1507 The point is that they aren't being recycled, some of those dead towers have been there for decades.

[@pauloconnor2980]

I love seeing wind turbines catch fire and burn up!!!!!

[@williamdawkins4731]

The consumers are going to pay for it. They pay for it when they go up and they will pay for it when they are taken down!

[@BillieBee_]

That’s true for anything, anyone who sells something will pass any cost to the consumer to maintain profit

[@Absaalookemensch]

Wind and solar power plants produce almost no electricity at night, yet their lifespan click keeps ticking.

[@rc3291]

AOC needs to see this. Especially the last minute.

[@jackcook6735]

It’s too complicated for that barfly

[@warrenp.5916]

@@jackcook6735 grow up you moron! Climb out of your cave and realize its not just her. The world is changing for the worse! Something has to be done now. Don’t blame her for bringing it to everyone’s attention. I’m sure you’re not old enough to remember that Republicans used to be out there protecting the environment. Then they figured out they could make money from contributions from gas and oil. I know! I used to be a Republican. Get over yourself

[@jasonlemon4491]

@@warrenp.5916 There's no ones persons opinion that means less to us then a Biden supporters!

[@whywoulditellyou00]

@@warrenp.5916 you tell someone to grow up and call them a name in the same sentence.

[@warrenp.5916]

@@whywoulditellyou00 he called her an ignorant name.. I was defending her... if he called you a name I would defend you as well.. I have great respect for women and very little for men who disrespects someone who goes to another state and raises millions of dollars to help people she doesn’t even know. That’s the character of someone worth defending don’t you think? Politics aside.... people helping people no matter how they think is noble and worth defending

[@Random-rt5ec]

Into a landfill the blades go where they will pollute the earth forever.

[@justsomeguy934]

Absolutely untrue. Wind turbine blades are made of fiberglass, the same thing as a boat hull. You're concerned that boats are a problem? You can bury a wind turbine blade, cut it up, and grow crops over it. Oil, not so much. Take a peek at what pollutes: Los Angeles clean air comparison: www.businessinsider.com/photos-stay-at-home-order-reduced-los-angeles-notorious-smog-2020-4

[@transitionministries2072]

The glass fibers are held together by resins or do you have new method to make it? Asking for a friend.

[@RechargeableLithium]

@@transitionministries2072 They're held together by epoxies, which are mixed from a resin and hardener. Once cured, the epoxy is inert. We can eat off of it, grow food on it, and otherwise live with old blades. Try that with nuclear waste, coal ash, fracking fluid, 'produced water', diluted bitumen...etc.

[@portnuefflyer]

@Derek Young "Can be crushed", with lots and lots of diesel powered heavy equipment maybe, best to leave it where it lies.

[@tomz1daful]

I'd like those generators that are "decommissioned". I have ideas how to reuse them.

[@NCrdwlf]

The sad thing is they probably wouldn’t give or sell them to you for some weak reason or another that has nothing to do with logic.

[@Bob_Shy_132]

Park them on the white house lawn?

[@jonathantan2469]

@@Bob_Shy_132 It would help deter enemy drones & potential suicide pilot attacks.

[@kevinl8616]

THEY JUST NEED TO STOP THIS CRAZYNESS!!!!!!!

[@francomtz7115]

So you're telling me their inefficient, imagine my surprise..

[@crinolynneendymion8755]

You appear to be ignorant of how efficiency is calculated. You do realise that a gasoline car engine is about 30 - 35 % efficient, slightly less than a wind turbine. But don't let facts intrude on your cost calculation.

[@stevedyches4635]

This brings to mind a watermelon that is green on the surface, hiding the red inside, and often very seedy.

[@jonathantan2469]

This is the case with biofuels. 30 years ago, we were told that green sustainable biofuels from corn, sugarcane, and palm oil will replace oil & gas completely by the 2010s. Now we know that countless hectares of ancient rainforests in the Amazons & Asia are being chopped down to plnt sugarcane & palm oil...

[@stevedyches4635]

@@jonathantan2469 No matter what we use the Earth gets abused and certain people still make big $$$.

[@mrdeplorable6262]

Love when it when spokesholes say how many KH "could" have been generated by each turbine.

[@RechargeableLithium]

That's not what she said. Are the deplorables so desperate for attention that they intentionally lie? Yeah, rhetorical question...

[@dallasdavis3246]

because windmills have to have a certain amount of wind to operate too much and they will overspeed and burn up too little and they cant produce they are a waste and a eyesore on the land but the city slickers and politicians dont have to look at them do they ?

[@RechargeableLithium]

@@dallasdavis3246 Sorry, no. While you're correct that any generation device needs a certain amount of something to get it turning (wind for turbines, steam for coal/gas/nuclear, water for tidal/hydro), each of these devices has controls that do not let the turbines overspeed. Dams use diversion pipes and intake valves. Wind turbines have variable blade pitch and devices that keep them from running too quickly - to the point that the blades will be turned out of the wind (furled) so they CANNOT OVERSPEED. I live in the country - I rather enjoy the free energy from my PV panels and my homemade (and self furling, thank you) wind turbine. You might want to come to West Texas and ask the ranchers what they think about wind turbines. They ASK FOR THEM to be installed on their range land - they can still graze cattle or grow cotton, AND generate electricity - from the same ground. Best not to try to take their turbines away, Amigo ROFL

[@davidmarr5245]

No mention of the removal of the huge concrete foundations, nor that the blades are a composite that is not recyclable.

[@johnthomas8193]

Let the Metal Scrappers know, all them towers would be gone before Sun up!

[@pietermoorer3679]

If the where build from metal...

[@jasontaylor7419]

And the turbines would be stripped of copper and aluminium

[@thenorthernhandyman]

@@pietermoorer3679 the towers are usually metal yes.

[@gallennorris782]

As a scrap metal recycler it is near impossible for us to scrap them. You would need to have the commercial cranes and much bigger torches just to bring the down. Smaller lattice frame and turbines that are below no higher then 100 ft would be able to be scrap by private metal recyclers like myself.

[@justdoesntaddup8620]

@@gallennorris782 Like most recycling, unfortunately the process of collect, dismantle, transport, sort, store, sell leaves the proprietor struggling to match the cost of mine, process transport , sell.

[@Tommy.McLean]

I wonder how I can get in on hauling the oversized loads trucking out the turbines?

[@tonytyler6390]

i was thinking the same thing...

[@ronniegillaspy]

Hmm wind turbines last 15-20 years. Oil Wells last 50-75 years. No brainer to me.

[@mlnags2829]

They aren’t reusable. They are being buried in Wyoming wilderness so eventually they are open on ground stacked. Possibly covered with dirt now. The blades don’t deteriorate. A LAND FILL

[@peterschmidt1453]

No different to any other industry. How many abandoned buildings are there, shopping malls, coal power plants, nuclear plants, mine sites around the country. It's not just obsolete renewables plants that get left for others to clean up. All industries need to have a clean up plan and funding.

[@MrLivewire1970]

a nuclear reactor can take 40 years to decommission. The cost of this small windfarm coming down is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of nuclear.

[@misterg4059]

Nailed it. I would include the cost and pollution that comes with decommissioning a coal plant and natural gas plant is a lot more, but a wind farm is manageable because there really isn't any toxic chemicals to clean and scrub.

[@jdhill770]

And a nuclear plant will generate power 24/7 365-1/4 days a year for decades, only going down for maintenance. You also don't need to build significantly more generating capacity than the grid requires, hoping to balance variable production with fairly consistent patterns of demand - or build grid level energy storage. The french have been using breeder reactors for decades, burning up and concentrating their waste fuel rods into newly concentrated and usable ones, resulting in significantly less waste material with shorter half lives to deal with.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@jdhill770 "The french have been using breeder reactors for decades, burning up and concentrating their waste fuel rods into newly concentrated and usable ones, resulting in significantly less waste material with shorter half lives to deal with." Great, I'll tell the Fukishima residents that they have nothing to worry about. I think the mail from Fukishima is being routed through Chernobyl...

[@jimdevilbiss9125]

How do they remove the tons and tons and tons of concrete in the base question

[@jerryhammond373]

Wow! Look at how much nice land these low power density things take up. Are we making the right decision building so many of these?

[@justsomeguy934]

" Look at how much nice land these low power density things take up. Are we making the right decision building so many of these?" Nice land? You mean the farm land already growing crops?

[@justdoesntaddup8620]

NO !

[@justsomeguy934]

@@justdoesntaddup8620 YES!

[@Norm475]

Go out west into the desert and look at the abandoned solar farms. One large nuclear facility can generate more electricity than these damn windmills and all that solar shit and they don't take up thousands of acres of land and kill thousands of birds and bats.

[@justsomeguy934]

@@Norm475 "One large nuclear facility can generate more electricity than these damn windmills and all that solar shit and they don't take up thousands of acres of land and kill thousands of birds and bats." Completely untrue. Cats and buildings kill 3x the number of birds than wind turbines do. I suppose you'll trade thousands of acres of solar panels that make no noise and no pollution for thousands of years of contamination at Fukishima and Chernobyl.

[@bigblue2216]

I do not understand this industry. The existing power producing turbines are not profitable ? Someone help me understand this.

[@danielb516]

Its bullshit ...of course they can keep em running .....terms like clean up sounds like nuclear waste.....total load of crap

[@vincentrobinette1507]

I can't imagine investors putting capital into a project that they don't think would be profitable.

[@leebarnes655]

www.clepair.net/windSchiphol.html They can only be put up where ignorant green feeling city voters have required more renewables be a legislated part of their power supply and this then requires subsidies which open the door for pols to get in bed with big pocket investors that will rape your grandchildren with 150% electric rates in the future for these ponzi scheme farms today. Who's financing these things? - don't be too surprised to learn it's the same old good ol boy network as usual. They smell money, your grandchildren's money with government guaranteed payoff for billions invested today. Wind and solar still can not compete without heavy subsidies. Nuclear, coal or Gas, those are your cheap choices. Only one is green.

[@slappy8941]

It's just feel-good democrap bullshit that was never meant to make sense.

@@danielb516 .....and what you write--by the FORCE of your exalted persona--is NOT a "total load of crap"?????

[@pi1810]

Oh, boy, have YOU been lied to :)

[@keitholiver2842]

in Australia, the government actually give $800,000 for each wind turbine every year they are running to the companies that put them up. So in the long term it's profitable for companies to build them. The turbine needs power to get them up and running before the wind takes over as well.

[@cobrapatrol]

'wind turbines need to be bigger in order to be profitable.' This is a false statement. Wind turbines are never profitable. They require massive subsidies to build and operate. Wind power is the most unreliable and expensive electricity available, and the ratepayer foots the bill.

[@keithschath8036]

By what you are saying you bought into republican rhetoric.

[@happydazeharvick4399]

@@keithschath8036 The reason these windmills were abandoned, is because the subsidies stopped. Because they never produced enough electricity to turn a profit... Or maybe you can't seem to hear the truth, because you've got your head up your A$$ !!!

[@christopherniceley8848]

We won’t be worrying about them with Biden’s new green deal. I’m curious how are we supposed to service these things without lubricants and OILS... Since Biden wants to move to clean energy sources and stop fracking... This will be interesting.

[@happydazeharvick4399]

@@christopherniceley8848 good point

[@happydazeharvick4399]

@@christopherniceley8848 On top of the fact that oil and natural gas, provide humanity with thousands of products and modern conveniences... Google it sometime.... Products that fossil fuels are responsible for. It would blow the average person's mind.

[@OttoMatieque]

those things are eyesores

[@mjwmontgomery]

End of subsidies?

[@erikpreston1805]

Who cleans up all the birds that are killed by the blades?

[@Posttronic]

Power from this source cost about 8 times as much as power from conventional sources, not to worry, however part of your power bill is tapped for the extra cost.