Would any of you guys take down old wind turbines if you had the chance...?

**DakotaRog** · 09-26-2018, 09:51 PM

Over on the trapperman forum, various alternative energy sources get brought from time to time and there are certainly a number of guys on there that are naysayers; they hate ethanol, they hate wind power, they hate solar, etc. Anyway, some guy from MS (although I think he has lived all over the U.S.) had some news article about how German companies are trying to "dump" their old wind turbines on 3rd world countries because the Germans don't want to pay to get rid of them--seems like an odd argument to make because if you have to dissemble the turbines to ship them overseas, why not just scrap them out then..? Other "news" examples are given that there are "dead wind turbines" for years (in Cali, Hawaii) that no one will take down "because it takes more money that could be gotten out of them".

Ok, maybe, but guys on here are pretty ingenious and if all liability issues were waved and someone said there is X tons of steel standing over there and if you can drop it, cut it up, and haul it away, its yours, would anyone be up for the challenge? Would scrapping out old wind turbines really be a loser in all or even most cases? Would love to hear your thoughts...

**520** · 09-26-2018, 10:56 PM

Sure why not. Like you said assuming if their were no liability issues or insurance to purchase. Knock it over and haul it to the scrap yard 48 ft at a time.

**auminer** · 09-26-2018, 11:09 PM

There's nothing I can't take apart!!!

No liability= let's play!

I'm pretty sure the blades are fiberglass, though. That might affect your math.

Just outside of Gallup, NM a couplefew years ago, the missus & I came across a fellow hauling a blade.

That's a regular 53 foot long semi pictured alongside it....

**DakotaRog** · 09-26-2018, 11:28 PM

Ok, let's assume there's no money ro be made on the blades, just consider the steel, power cable, and maybe the actual generator. The current ones that I see leaving the local assembly plant are the length of a long semi-trailer and a shorter second and about as wide as half a double-wide trailer (I passed one the other day on the interstate). It takes at least 3 tower sections to reach the "hub" (don't know if that's the right terminology). I presume the hub housing is steel as well.

**jimicrk** · 09-27-2018, 03:43 AM

I'll bet Patriot76 could do it.

**Patriot76** · 09-27-2018, 12:46 PM

This would be one heck of a project. Disposal of the fiberglass would be an issue for negotiation as well as dealing with the EPA and liability. I would love such a challenge. Without additional help I would use the old "timber" strategy used on the community water tanks. If a person had an entire field to remove it might be worth it to hire a helicopter to lower the units and the metal can be reused or just have the helicopter deliver them directly to the yard. I would check out the local national guard to see if they need any practice operations. Sorry, this is how my brain operates when I face new challenges. After brain storming my strategies I would do the research to see how others do it. If anyone has tried either of these methods, please let me know how it worked.

**Breakage** · 09-27-2018, 04:05 PM

I'd think with that much scrap fiberglass, you could talk to a recycler about buying it, as long as it is clean. There aren't many people, globally, recovering that material but it does seem to be happening.

Can you not reuse the blades? It just seems weird that you wouldn't want spares if you had a working wind farm.

**NHscrapman** · 09-27-2018, 05:50 PM

Could shoot the concrete foundation. Be more work on the disassembly end but it would be a heck of a show and way cheaper than cranes and helicopters.

**RLS0812** · 09-27-2018, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by Breakage

I'd think with that much scrap fiberglass, you could talk to a recycler about buying it, as long as it is clean. There aren't many people, globally, recovering that material but it does seem to be happening.

I've worked with fiberglass in several different large scale projects ( over $500 million ) - no one "buys" the scrap, it can not be recycled.
You can grind it up, add more resin, and cast the results into molds, HOWEVER it can not be used for anything requiring structural stability ( car bodies, piping, cooling towers, windmills, e.t.c. ).
.

**DakotaRog** · 09-27-2018, 09:16 PM

There's a wind system just northeast of here that's been going for about 20 years now. I'm going to inquire how often do they need to change those blades or if they do? I would think that the wear and tear of certain particulates in the air, hail strikes. bird strikes, uv exposure (?), and other things might affect the surface efficiency of the blades. Then again, they'te so big, maybe luittle stuff like that doesn't do much over 20+ years.

**DakotaRog** · 09-27-2018, 09:18 PM

One that fell over in w. PA

**DakotaRog** · 09-27-2018, 09:20 PM

Dropping an odd looking one in CT

**DakotaRog** · 09-27-2018, 09:23 PM

https://ontario-wind-resistance.org/...bine-teardown/

**Patriot76** · 09-27-2018, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by DakotaRog

Dropping an odd looking one in CT

"Timberrrrr"

**Patriot76** · 09-27-2018, 11:08 PM

Decommissioning a wind plant, in its simplest form, requires removal of the turbines. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management estimated that removal of a turbine and tower would cost $1,500-$2,500. Removal of the foundation and wiring could add another $1,500-$2,500; revegetation of disturbed soil, another $500-$700. The BLM estimated that total removal would cost from $3,000 to about $5,500 per turbine for the 100 kW turbines typical of the mid 1980s. This is taken from the following source:

WIND-WORKS: Decommissioning and Dismantling Wind Turbines and Wind Plants

The figures above must have been influenced by the scrap value. The gear box, generator, drive train range in weight from about 50 tons to 75 tons. The tower is between 70 and 155 tons. 120 tons would be worth $ 12,000 as unprepared iron around here. The average weight of the blades is about 40 tons and this amount of fiberglass has to be moved.

The video above gives credit to the tractor for pulling the tower over. I would guess that it was torched just like a tree is cut and therefore angled in that direction to allow gravity to lay it down. The torch was stopped short of final cut and the metal was hot enough it continued to cut the metal as the man moved to a safe area. This statement is based on the fact that the tower laid down instead of crashing down in a mere second. The tractor therefore served more as an anchor.

**DakotaRog** · 09-28-2018, 01:15 AM

So, in some circumstances, it appears that a guy could make money taking one of this things out, if he knew what he was doing. I didn't catch if they talked about how to get rid of the blades? I suppose if I put that link you shared over on the trapperman.com thread, the wind power haters would say it was a lie and just keep on saying "no one takes those things down after they stop working"...

**recyclersteve** · 09-28-2018, 04:24 AM

Great video of the extreme demolition. That was very professionally made.

I understand that in the video the company went bankrupt before finishing the job. Also, I understand the potential ravages of hail and tornados. But, that aside, shouldn't these things last a lot longer? I was thinking they should easily stand 50-100 years. Am I missing something?

**mikeinreco** · 09-28-2018, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by recyclersteve

Great video of the extreme demolition. That was very professionally made.

I understand that in the video the company went bankrupt before finishing the job. Also, I understand the potential ravages of hail and tornados. But, that aside, shouldn't these things last a lot longer? I was thinking they should easily stand 50-100 years. Am I missing something?

If I payed attention during the video (I was half asleep) this was a prototype unit and the company that was wanting to manufacture these went bankrupt not the people that were removing it

**jimicrk** · 09-29-2018, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by recyclersteve

I was thinking they should easily stand 50-100 years. Am I missing something?

Yes, you didn't factor in planned obsolescence.

**RLS0812** · 09-29-2018, 01:22 PM

The rotors and blades are absolutely huge ( 400 - 600 feet from tip to tip )
.

.
I think it would take a lot of time and effort to cut that much fiberglass up into haulable bits.
A demolition claw may help ?
.

Would any of you guys take down old wind turbines if you had the chance...?

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