The green energy revolution

[BlasterBates]

[OwlHoot]

Why?!

[ladymuck]

Why were they being taken down? Is this where we find out that these multi million pound pieces of kit that only work within specific wind speeds, and have to be turned off when the beaufort scale says it's a bit breezy, now only have a 10 year functional life span and we have to expend lots of energy to take them down and make new ones?

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

[BlasterBates]

Why were they being taken down? Is this where we find out that these multi million pound pieces of kit that only work within specific wind speeds, and have to be turned off when the beaufort scale says it's a bit breezy, now only have a 10 year functional life span and we have to expend lots of energy to take them down and make new ones?

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

Wind Turbines have a 25 year life span, so if wind becomes the main source of energy you can probably calculate that there is going to be massive demand for steel.

https://www.twi-global.com/technical...-turbines-last

Conventional turbines are also subject to the same stress but can easily be refurbished, rather like jet engines. I used to work for a turbine generator manufacturer and refurbishment was big business. Wind generators can't be refurbished because it's too expensive to take them back to the factory. Blowing up wind turbines will become increasingly commonplace.

[ladymuck]

Wind Turbines have a 25 year life span, so if wind becomes the main source of energy you can probably calculate that there is going to be massive demand for steel.

https://www.twi-global.com/technical...-turbines-last

Conventional turbines are also subject to the same stress but can easily be refurbished, rather like jet engines. I used to work for a turbine generator manufacturer and refurbishment was big business. Wind generators can't be refurbished because it's too expensive to take them back to the factory. Blowing up wind turbines will become increasingly commonplace.

I nearly said 5 year lifespan but I tempered my assumption filled rant with 10 instead 25 years sounds more reasonable. With a traditional power station having a 25-40 year lifespan, and nuclear around 80 I think, one would expect to see work into wind turbines to extend their operational life. I bet there's some argument against putting wind turbines on the site of demolished power stations, which would be a good reuse of land.

[minestrone]

[BlasterBates]

I nearly said 5 year lifespan but I tempered my assumption filled rant with 10 instead 25 years sounds more reasonable. With a traditional power station having a 25-40 year lifespan, and nuclear around 80 I think, one would expect to see work into wind turbines to extend their operational life. I bet there's some argument against putting wind turbines on the site of demolished power stations, which would be a good reuse of land.

Drax power station was first commissioned in the 1970's and the same machines are still in service. They can largely be refurbished in situ. There is probably no limit to life of power stations built since the 1960's.

https://www.drax.com/about-us/our-history/

[AtW]

In 25 years we’ll have cold fusion reactors at home

NEXT!

[Paddy]

Why were they being taken down? Is this where we find out that these multi million pound pieces of kit that only work within specific wind speeds, and have to be turned off when the beaufort scale says it's a bit breezy, now only have a 10 year functional life span and we have to expend lots of energy to take them down and make new ones?

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

They are not chimneys! They are cooling towers and give off water vapour. However, the environmentalists try to show them as giving off smoke which is grossly misleading.

[ladymuck]

They are not chimneys! They are cooling towers and give off water vapour. However, the environmentalists try to show them as giving off smoke which is grossly misleading.

That is very true. I typed chimneys before looking for a good video and forgot to change it. There is one chimey in that video but they're less exciting, hence going for a cooling tower.