Estimated Plastic Emissions from Wind Turbine Blades
I have written various articles regarding the economic hoax about today’s Wind turbines. Today I want to mention the environmental disadvantage.
Based on the difference between the reported transport weights of new and replaced blades, the approximately 5,500 wind turbines currently in operation could collectively release about 33,000 tons of material between blade replacements.
Public Claims and Uncertainty
The wind power industry is aware of concerns about plastic emissions but, in this account, understates their scale. Some websites cite total microplastics emissions of less than one ton per year, even though those estimates are based on theoretical assumptions rather than direct measurement.
Some sources acknowledge this limitation directly: no one has yet collected and weighed rotor-blade abrasion, and it remains unclear how such a study could be carried out in practice. Any estimate should therefore be assessed for technical plausibility and presented with appropriate caution.
Transport Records and Blade Weight Loss
New and used turbine blades are weighed during transport. Because their length requires special handling, each journey is carefully planned and documented. Typical requirements include:
- applications for transport exemptions;
- approved route plans;
- escort vehicles and transport supervisors;
- accurate weight information for road or sea transport; and
- shipping manifests that record each blade’s serial number and weight.
A standard blade reportedly weighs about 24 tons when new and about 22 tons when replaced. On that basis, a worn blade has lost approximately 2 tons, or 8% of its original weight. With three blades per turbine, the estimated loss is about 6 tons between replacements.
Because turbine blades are hollow, an 8% reduction may appear plausible for visibly worn blades. If 6,000 kg of material were dispersed across an area of 250 by 250 meters (62,500 square meters), the average would be approximately 0.1 kg per square meter. This estimate is presented as consistent with the visible debris sometimes associated with wind farms.
Estimated Total Plastic Emissions
Applying the estimate of 6 tons per turbine to approximately 5,500 turbines produces a total of about 33,000 tons of material between blade replacements.
Microplastics are plastic particles, fibers, and fragments measuring from 0.001 to 5 millimeters. Larger plastic fragments can also break down into microplastics over time. From this perspective, any plastic released into the natural environment is undesirable, and the 33,000-tonne estimate differs sharply from claims that total lifetime emissions are below one ton.
Concrete Foundations and Wider Impacts
Each wind turbine foundation reportedly contains about 2,000 tons of concrete. Across 5,500 turbines, that corresponds to approximately 11 million tons of underground concrete that landowners may have to address after the turbines are removed.
The broader argument is that wind turbines affect the environment both above and below ground. It also raises concerns about their intermittent output, the balance of the electricity system, and possible effects on public health.
The economic disaster.
95% of all wind turbines are subsidized by national governments or host organizations. This led to a boom in the construction of large heavy industrial companies around the world, which took advantage of the government subsidies. Renewable received 46 percent of overall power subsidies, despite constituting a very small portion of overall power generation. Now the aftereffects are beginning, with closures or bankruptcies among manufacturers as maintenance costs skyrocket. The major cost is, among other things, the replacement of new blades, which are now not subsidized.
Interest has cooled from the major operators, leaving behind one of the worst environmental degradation in energy history.
Thank for reading my post.
#Windmush / #curtbergsten
Wind subsidies are rising, but wind power production isn’t – Competitive Enterprise Institute
