WIND FARM FACTS

General Facts

The nacelle (centre of turbine) contains up to 300 litres of oil (PAO synthetic oil based on crude) as lubricant (per wind turbine). An oil change is necessary every 5 to 10 years. Source The life span of a wind turbine is about 20 years. Wind turbine blades cannot be recycled and end up in land fill or get “left behind”. Source In 2021 about 8000 blades (around 93000 tons) were pulled down in the US alone of which most ended in land fill. Source In order to power NYC you would need 57 000 acres of land and estimated over 3800 turbines which would require over 1 million litres of oil (every 5 to 10 years). Source Collision fatalities of birds (about 500 000 per year) and bats (tens to hundreds of thousands die each year in North America alone). Source, source, source A wind farm may encompass thousands of acres with concerns for indirect impact such as displacement of sensitive species but the long-term population impacts are unknown. Source, source
How much does it cost to set up 1 turbine?

$2.6 – $4 million per average-sized commercial wind turbine. Typical cost is $1.3 million per megawatt (MW) of electricity-producing capacity. (Source) Wind turbines under 100 kilowatts (0.1 MW) cost roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt of capacity. A 10 kilowatt (0.01 MW) machine (the size needed to power a large home) might have an installed cost of $50,000-$80,000 (or more). Most of the commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost roughly $3-$4 million installed. (Source)
How much does one turbine weigh? How much "toxic" material does it contain?

Wind turbines can get to be around 300-400 feet tall. The average weight of a wind turbine is about 200 tons. (Source) The production of wind turbines requires steel and aluminium. The extraction and production of these is a costly, polluting and energy-consuming process. (Source) Used wind turbine blades have been designated hazardous waste. Currently 30,000 wind turbines are in operation across Germany and many will have to be dismantled over the next 20 years. That volume alone means over a million tonnes of hazardous waste. (Source)
Is a fire risk high in wind turbines?

It is estimated that 1 in 2,000 wind turbines catch fire each year. Nacelle fires lead to total loss or significant damage in 90% of all cases. When a fire does occur, the typical action is to wait for it to burn out. Without suppressing the fire, significant structural damage and total loss result in nearly all cases (90%). (Source) Wind turbines are high-voltage machines that produce a lot of heat. Once a turbine catches fire, there is little authorities can do but try to secure the area from flaming debris and monitor the flames as they burn themselves out. (Source)
What are the impacts of ground vibration caused by wind turbines?

According to the American Bird Conservancy, it is estimated that 1.17 million birds are killed by collisions with wind turbines in the United States each year, much more so in the years to come as more wind turbines are put up all over the country each year. (Source) In the UK, some 10,000 to 100,000 birds are killed by wind turbines annually. (Source) Wind turbine noise (WTN) can have a detrimental effect on nearby wildlife. WTN can harm vital survival, social, and rearing mechanisms in certain species. (Source) Wind turbines generate low-frequency noise (LFN, 20–200 Hz), which poses health risks to nearby residents. Exposure to LFN from wind turbines results in headaches, difficulty concentrating, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, aural pain sleep disturbances, and annoyance. Clinically, exposure to LFN from wind turbines may cause increased risk of epilepsy, cardiovascular effects, and coronary artery disease. (Source) Vibrational noise from wind energy-turbines negatively impacts earthworm abundance. Earthworms play a crucial role in several soil processes and are also known to play an important role in plant production. Therefore, the negative relationship we find between wind turbine noise levels and earthworm abundance could potentially have cascading effects on other soil organisms and processes and should also draw attention to other sources of seismic noise. (Source) (Source)

WIND FARM FACTS

The nacelle (centre of turbine) contains up to 300 litres of oil (PAO synthetic oil based on crude) as lubricant (per wind turbine). An oil change is necessary every 5 to 10 years. Source
The life span of a wind turbine is about 20 years. Wind turbine blades cannot be recycled and end up in land fill or get “left behind”. Source
In 2021 about 8000 blades (around 93000 tons) were pulled down in the US alone of which most ended in land fill. Source
In order to power NYC you would need 57 000 acres of land and estimated over 3800 turbines which would require over 1 million litres of oil (every 5 to 10 years). Source
Collision fatalities of birds (about 500 000 per year) and bats (tens to hundreds of thousands die each year in North America alone). Source, source, source
A wind farm may encompass thousands of acres with concerns for indirect impact such as displacement of sensitive species but the long-term population impacts are unknown. Source, source

How much does it cost to set up 1 turbine?

$2.6 – $4 million per average-sized commercial wind turbine. Typical cost is $1.3 million per megawatt (MW) of electricity-producing capacity. (Source)
Wind turbines under 100 kilowatts (0.1 MW) cost roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt of capacity. A 10 kilowatt (0.01 MW) machine (the size needed to power a large home) might have an installed cost of $50,000-$80,000 (or more). Most of the commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost roughly $3-$4 million installed. (Source)

How much does one turbine weigh? How much "toxic" material does it contain?

Wind turbines can get to be around 300-400 feet tall. The average weight of a wind turbine is about 200 tons. (Source)
The production of wind turbines requires steel and aluminium. The extraction and production of these is a costly, polluting and energy-consuming process. (Source)
Used wind turbine blades have been designated hazardous waste. Currently 30,000 wind turbines are in operation across Germany and many will have to be dismantled over the next 20 years. That volume alone means over a million tonnes of hazardous waste. (Source)

Is a fire risk high in wind turbines?

It is estimated that 1 in 2,000 wind turbines catch fire each year. Nacelle fires lead to total loss or significant damage in 90% of all cases. When a fire does occur, the typical action is to wait for it to burn out. Without suppressing the fire, significant structural damage and total loss result in nearly all cases (90%). (Source)
Wind turbines are high-voltage machines that produce a lot of heat. Once a turbine catches fire, there is little authorities can do but try to secure the area from flaming debris and monitor the flames as they burn themselves out. (Source)

What are the impacts of ground vibration caused by wind turbines?

According to the American Bird Conservancy, it is estimated that 1.17 million birds are killed by collisions with wind turbines in the United States each year, much more so in the years to come as more wind turbines are put up all over the country each year. (Source)
In the UK, some 10,000 to 100,000 birds are killed by wind turbines annually. (Source)
Wind turbine noise (WTN) can have a detrimental effect on nearby wildlife. WTN can harm vital survival, social, and rearing mechanisms in certain species. (Source)
Wind turbines generate low-frequency noise (LFN, 20–200 Hz), which poses health risks to nearby residents. Exposure to LFN from wind turbines results in headaches, difficulty concentrating, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, aural pain sleep disturbances, and annoyance. Clinically, exposure to LFN from wind turbines may cause increased risk of epilepsy, cardiovascular effects, and coronary artery disease. (Source)
Vibrational noise from wind energy-turbines negatively impacts earthworm abundance. Earthworms play a crucial role in several soil processes and are also known to play an important role in plant production. Therefore, the negative relationship we find between wind turbine noise levels and earthworm abundance could potentially have cascading effects on other soil organisms and processes and should also draw attention to other sources of seismic noise. (Source) (Source)

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How much does it cost to set up 1 turbine?

$2.6 – $4 million per average-sized commercial wind turbine. Typical cost is $1.3 million per megawatt (MW) of electricity-producing capacity. (Source)
Wind turbines under 100 kilowatts cost roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt of capacity. A 10 kilowatt machine (the size needed to power a large home) might have an installed cost of $50,000-$80,000 (or more). The costs for a utility scale wind turbine range from about $1.3 million to $2.2 million per MW of nameplate capacity installed. Most of the commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost roughly $3-$4 million installed. (Source)

How much does one turbine weigh? How much "toxic" material does it contain?

Industrial wind turbines can get to be around 300-400 feet tall with blades that span over 100 feet and the tower can be over 200 feet depending on the model that is being used. The average weight of a wind turbine is about 200 tons in total. The blades weigh about 35 tons, the tower itself at around 70 tons, and the gear box weighing at about 55 tons. (Source)
In the GE 1.5-megawatt model, the nacelle alone weighs more than 56 tons, the blade assembly weighs more than 36 tons, and the tower itself weighs about 71 tons — a total weight of 164 tons. The corresponding weights for the Vestas V90 are 75, 40, and 152, total 267 tons; and for the Gamesa G87 72, 42, and 220, total 334 tons. (Source)
The production of wind turbines requires steel and aluminium. The extraction and production of these is a costly, polluting and energy-consuming process. For the production of the magnets in the wind turbines, the precious and difficult to extract earth metal neodymium is needed. In Baotou (China), neodymium must be separated from uranium and thorium. Along with other toxic chemicals, the waste is dumped into basins and lakes. Groundwater is contaminated and the air contains high concentrations of toxic substances. (Source)
Currently the old blades are being shredded and the chips mixed in with concrete. “You need too much energy and power to shred them,” says Hans-Dieter Wilcken, the operator of a German recycling company. Burning them is also not an option. The problem with chopping them up is that dangerous carbon fibre particles are produced and pose a threat to human health. Used wind turbine blades have been designated hazardous waste and no one knows how to deal with them. Currently 30,000 wind turbines are in operation across Germany and many will have to be dismantled over the next 20 years. That volume alone means over a million tonnes of hazardous waste (30,000 turbines x 3 blades/turbine x 15 tonnes/blade = 1.35 million tonnes). (Source)

What is the carbon foot print (building/setup) of 1 turbine?

An average wind turbine is made of 66-79% of steel, 11-16% fiberglass, resin, or plastic, 5-17% of iron, 1% of copper and 0-2% of aluminum. Combining all of these materials into the structure of a turbine that is going to weigh hundreds of tons is where the questions arise around the carbon emissions caused by the carbon footprint of wind turbine construction. After all, they all have to be smelted together in blast furnaces that will be burning fossil fuels and emitting tons of CO2. (Source)
As wind turbines twirl, they also generate negative impacts, including threats to wildlife. Moreover, their carbon footprint is still significant, as their construction sends to the air considerable amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Because the materials wind turbines are made of are very energy-intensive, building them emits a considerable amount of carbon. The carbon footprint of manufacturing one wind turbine is equal to 1,701 tons of CO2-equivalent, which is not negligible. (Source)

How efficient are wind turbines?

Generally, a wind turbine is around 30-45% efficient increasing to 50% during peak wind times. (Source)
The capacity factor of a wind turbine is its average power output divided by its maximum power capability. Capacity factor of land based wind in the U.S. ranges from 24% to 56% and averages of 36%. Offshore winds are generally stronger than on land, and capacity factors are higher on average (expected to reach 51% by 2022 for new projects), but offshore wind farms are more expensive to build and maintain. (Source)

Is a fire risk high in wind turbines?

Wind turbine fires account for 10-30% of all catastrophic wind turbine accidents. The Caithness Windfarm Information Forum (CWIF) reported 20 wind turbine fires globally in both 2011 and 2012. That is out of a total of 160 total wind turbine accidents. Therefore, fires represented 12.5% of all incidents in both years. According to analysis by the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS), The Telegraph and Renewable UK both estimate a total of 1,500 wind turbine accidents from 2006-2010. That includes both reported incidents and unreported incidents. However, research by CWIF identified only 142 reported incidents during the same time period. Therefore, we can assume that 91% of incidents are never reported. An estimated 200,000 wind turbines operated globally in 2011. Based on data in the IAFSS report, we can assume there were 117 fires that same year (both reported and unreported). That means 1 in every 1,710 turbines caught fire in 2011. A 2020 article in Wind Power Engineering Magazine also estimates that 1 in 2,000 wind turbines catch fire each year. Nacelle fires lead to total loss or significant damage in 90% of all cases. When a fire does occur, the typical action is to wait for it to burn out. Without suppressing the fire, significant structural damage and total loss result in nearly all cases (90%). (Source)
Regardless of age, wind turbines are high-voltage machines that produce a lot of heat and are subjected to harsh weather conditions. Degradation and maintenance needs are to be expected. High-voltage cabinets, transformer rooms, brake and slip rings are all routinely checked for signs of wear, but not all of these parts are protected from fire risk even though they can be easily equipped with the technology. Once a turbine catches fire, there is little authorities can do but try to secure the area from flaming debris and monitor the flames as they burn themselves out. (Source)
Potential ignition sources are mainly inside the nacelle where there is fast moving machinery (generators, gearboxes e.t.c) which creates heat and combustible oil and solid material in the. Even with the incredible engineering and safety measures in place, a fire can ignite and develop, leading to the possible complete destruction of the turbine. A study conducted by SP Safety at the Technical Research Institute of Sweden showed that 10-30% of all loss-of-power-generation incidents in wind power plants are due to fire. (Source)

What are the impacts of ground vibration caused by wind turbines?

According to the American Bird Conservancy, it is estimated that 1.17 million birds are killed by collisions with wind turbines in the United States each year, much more so in the years to come as more wind turbines are put up all over the country each year. (Source)
In the UK, some 10,000 to 100,000 birds are killed by wind turbines annually. (Source)
Wind turbine noise (WTN) can have a detrimental effect on nearby wildlife. WTN can harm vital survival, social, and rearing mechanisms in certain species. (Source)
Wind turbines generate low-frequency noise (LFN, 20–200 Hz), which poses health risks to nearby residents. LFN exposure has been found to cause a variety of health conditions. Exposure to LFN from wind turbines results in headaches, difficulty concentrating, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, tinnitus, aural pain sleep disturbances, and annoyance. Clinically, exposure to LFN from wind turbines may cause increased risk of epilepsy, cardiovascular effects, and coronary artery disease. (Source)
Vibrational noise from wind energy-turbines negatively impacts earthworm abundance. Earthworms play a crucial role in several soil processes including: soil formation, soil structure, water infiltration, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, climate regulation and primary production. Furthermore, earthworms are known to play an important role in plant production. Therefore, the negative relationship we find between wind turbine noise levels and earthworm abundance could potentially have cascading effects on other soil organisms and processes and should also draw attention to other sources of seismic noise. (Source) (Source)