How long do turbines last

Decommissioned blades have also been turned into another playground and outdoor seats in the Dutch city of Terneuzen, two bus stops in Almere, a seat beside Rotterdam's famous Erasmusbrug bridge. Mr Schellings recently led the development team for GE's Haliade-X, now the world's largest wind turbine. It produces 12MW - four times the amount he imagined 20 years ago.

Bigger onshore turbines can access faster wind speeds, higher in the sky. They can produce more energy, meaning you need fewer of them, which saves money on transport, installation and servicing.

Siemens Gamesa says 20 of its new 10MW turbines, announced last year with 94m blades, could power Liverpool, with a population of half a million. But large turbines bring along their own challenges, including what to do with them when they are no longer needed.

Bigger blades "need bigger factories, bigger vessels, cables, foundations, and handling equipment," says Ray Thompson, global business development head at Spanish-headquartered Siemens Gamesa, one of the world's two largest wind turbine makers. Longer blades can make for bigger recycling headaches, too.

The composite fibreglass in blades is "the most difficult, and the most expensive part" of turbines to recycle, Mr Kragelund says. And there's more of it. There's some reselling of second-hand turbine components from Europe to the Middle East and Asia pacific, he says.

Big data, leading to better maintenance regimes and more reliable components could also mean today's blades might last longer, says Siemens's Mr Thompson. Recycling has made more progress so far in the onshore than offshore industry, which is newer, he adds. But while "there is work being done to find ways to recycle materials from old turbines," it "would be nice to see more design input now, so that's easier in the future," says Prof Cochrane. The results of the physical inspection are considered in these calculations.

Fatigue loads are simulated using software-based models that take into account site-specific wind conditions as well as design conditions. All load-bearing components contributing to the structural stability of the turbine are examined: the tower and foundation, screws and bolts, load-bearing parts of the drive train, the hub, the shaft, the rotor blades, braking systems and the safety functions. This report specifies the remaining time until design loads are reached. Based on the calculations, a statement is prepared highlighting immediate measures required for continued operation, as well as measures that become necessary at defined points in time, like exchange of parts or individual inspection strategies.

As long as wind farms are operated within their design lifetime and the design conditions are not exceeded, a defined safety level against the occurrence of damages caused by material fatigue is maintained.

In many cases, wind conditions at the site result in lower loads than originally planned. Thus, the supporting structure of the turbine is often free from significant damage and the necessary repairs are generally minor and cost-effective.

A lifetime extension assessment determines whether continued operation is possible and assists managers and operators when planning for the future of their assets. The results of a lifetime extension assessment can also be used to plan maintenance shutdowns and to forecast the costs that are likely to be incurred during the remaining lifetime of a turbine. This assessment is also recommended when applying for extension of insurance policies and is generally required by service providers after the end of the design life of the turbine.

The assumed loads a manufacturer factors into turbine design are based on a defined service life for the wind turbine. All operational, safety and construction relevant components and load-bearing parts of the turbine are designed, built and dimensioned to withstand foreseeable loads and stresses caused by wind, weather and operation for the length of this period.

This design service life is usually 20 or 25 years, provided the specified maintenance is completed, regular inspections and testing are performed, and faults are immediately rectified.

The design service life and period of lifetime extension are used as a basis for calculating the total service life. Between and , the decision to decommission, repower or continue to operate will apply to about 1, to 2, turbines every year, decreasing to about 1, turbines per year from It is likely that repowering will not always be possible, particularly given the mandatory distance required between a turbine and the nearest residential area.

In such cases, options for lifetime extension will be particularly attractive. Power Engineering. You are commenting using your WordPress.

You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email.

Notify me of new posts via email. We respect your privacy. Email addresses are secure - and will not be passed on to any third party. Email Address:. Follow us here. The main bodies of the blades were ground up and mixed with concrete used in the bases of other turbines erected later the plastics in the blade are highly toxic, and contain Bisphenol A, which is so dangerous to health that the European Union and Canada have banned it : So, there you have it: the answer to the question of how long wind turbines last.

Like this: Like Loading Filed Under: Big wind industry , Big wind politics , subsidies , wind turbine dangers Tagged With: cost comparison wind power , Cost of generating wind power , cost of wind turbine maintenance , wind farm operating costs , wind power costs , wind turbine blade failure , Wind turbine blade landfill , Wind turbine failure , wind turbine lifespan , Wind turbine maintenance costs , Wind turbine mechanical failure , Wind turbine operating cost.

About stopthesethings We are a group of citizens concerned about the rapid spread of industrial wind power generation installations across Australia. Comments gds44 says:. June 17, at am. Jacqueline Rovensky says:. June 16, at pm. OldCynic says:. June 15, at pm. Xcel Energy has promised to completely restore the land when Ponnequin comes down, but across the country, wind farm clean-up is loosely regulated by lease agreements and a patchwork of local rules.

There are no binding federal regulations to mandate cleaning up after a wind farm. And when the giant turbines come down, they can leave a lot of waste behind.

The steel towers can be recycled, but the fiberglass blades typically end up in landfills.