Abstract

This post on Wind Turbines follows on from the previous post on the non-green reality and limited utility of electric vehicles.  There are not enough resources in the world, which comprise electric batteries to replace new future vehicle demand, let alone the current complicated and indispensable stock of combustion engine driven fleets.  The same non-green, unproductive and costly realities apply to Wind Turbines, better known as ‘Bird Choppers’ (more below). 

As written previously ‘green’ energy is not ‘green’ but within the context of the life cycle of these platforms, entirely destructive of Gaia and nature.  The destruction takes many forms but includes massive and devastating mining, the destruction of ecology and ecosystems, the slaughtering of fauna including birds and fowl, and the exhaustion of non-renewable minerals and materials.  EV’s, wind turbines and solar panels are completely dependent upon hydrocarbons for their creation, distribution and maintenance. 

If you are an eco-fanatic and truly concerned about the ‘environment’ you would oppose the Bird Manglers.

And rather ironically ‘Net zero’ standards mean nothing when you view the reality that without hydrocarbons, there won’t be any of the purported ‘green’ technologies available to use - none of these ‘saviour-technologies’ can be created or maintained without cheap hydrocarbon energy. 

Wind Turbines are simply another example of ‘Scientism’ – a religious cult espousing a political agenda using ‘science’ and ‘climate’ as excuses to reduce civilisation and modernity.  As everyone should know there is no climate ‘crisis’. 

Meet the Bird Choppers

We can take one country as an example.  In the UK there are more than 9.000 onshore wind turbines and 3.000 offshore Bird-Choppers.  A single Bird-Mangler will have an enormous ‘carbon footprint’ (a meaningless term) of 242 tonnes over its lifetime or the equivalent of 30 petrol cars.  This means that in the UK the Bird Choppers have a total ‘footprint’ equal to 360.000 cars to generate electricity that is sporadic, at least twice as costly and suffused with eco-damage throughout their life cycle. 

The plans in the UK are to double or treble the Bird-Mangling estate, equivalent to over a 1 million combustion engine powered vehicles or 3% of the current stock.  Wind power only accounts for 15-20 % of total energy needs in the UK.  You could blanket the entire country with these monstrosities, and you won’t even satisfy future demand, let alone current. 

The Monsters

Height: Onshore wind turbines typically have hub heights (the height from the base to the centre of the rotor) ranging from 50 meters (164 feet) to 150 meters (492 feet). The rotor diameter, which is the diameter of the circle described by the spinning blades, can range from 40 meters (131 feet) to 130 meters (426 feet).

Weight: The weight of the tower, nacelle (housing the generator and other components), and blades combined for an onshore wind turbine can range from around 100 to 500 metric tons, depending on the turbine's size.

Offshore Wind Turbines

Height: Offshore wind turbines are generally larger than onshore turbines. Hub heights for offshore turbines can range from 80 meters (262 feet) to 220 meters (722 feet) or more. The rotor diameter can exceed 150 meters (492 feet).

Weight: The weight of offshore wind turbines is typically higher due to the larger size and the need for additional structural support to withstand marine conditions. Offshore wind turbines can weigh several hundred to over a thousand metric tons, including the foundation structures.

Materials in the Bird Manglers

The amount of skin and dirt that must be removed from tender Gaia’s skin to make a Bird Chopper is truly epic – running in the gigatonnes.  The same is true for EVs.  Wind Turbines are entirely dependent on hydro-carbon energy in every stage of manufacture and placement.

Steel: The tower of a wind turbine is primarily made of steel. On average, a modern onshore wind turbine tower may require approximately 300-400 metric tonnes of steel.

Aluminium:  Used in various components, such as the nacelle and hub.  The weight of aluminium in an onshore wind turbine can be in the range of 10 to 20 metric tons.

Fibreglass and Composites:  The blades of a wind turbine are often made of fiberglass and composite materials.  The weight of the blades can vary, but each blade may weigh several tonnes.

Copper:  Several tonnes of copper are found in various components, such as the generator, electrical wiring, and other electrical systems.  

Concrete or Cement:  Emplacements use concrete or cement which can only be manufactured with hydrocarbons.  Cement is manufactured through a controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminium, iron and other ingredients.  High temperatures, kilns and mixing apparatuses are needed.  

Rare Earth Minerals:  Neodymium and Dysprosium are elements used in the production of permanent magnets for the generators in wind turbines (very limited supplies).  The amount of rare earth elements used in a wind turbine depends on the specific design and type of generator but will comprise many kgs of material. 

To source 1 kg of neodymium means removing more than 1 tonne of tender Gaia’s skin and underlying bodily structure.  Drilling for rare earth minerals generates 2000 tonnes of toxic waste.  We don’t have enough rare metals to produce endless arrays of the Bird-Choppers (China is the world’s top supplier). 

“To provide most of our power through renewables would take hundreds of times the amount of rare earth metals that we are mining today,” said Thomas Graedel, Clifton R. Musser Professor of Industrial Ecology and professor of geology and geophysics at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

So, let’s summarise the build of an average-sized Bird-Eater with a capacity output of 3 MW.

·       300-350 tonnes of steel;

·       3-5 tonnes of copper;

·       1,200 tonnes of concrete (cement and aggregates),

·       2-3 tonnes of aluminium;

·   2 tonnes of rare earth elements; [Aluminium; Zinc; Molybdenum. Zinc, Nickel, Cobalt, Platinum, Aluminium, Rare Earth Elements] and Nickel. 

If I look at the UK, all of these materials are between 73 and 100% imported and transported using of course hydrocarbon energy, and some are mined with slave labour (eg Cobalt).  It is an anti-scientific joke to call the above ‘green’ or to make the claim that this process is ‘cleaner’ than mining, refining and using clean burning, replenishable, renewal hydrocarbons. 

Costs per MW

The cost of a wind turbine can vary widely based on its size, capacity, and the specific site conditions.  Onshore wind turbines typically cost between U$1 million to $2 million per megawatt (MW) of capacity.  At least U$50.000 is needed per annum to keep them operational.  Blades need replacing every 10-20 years. 

The average Bird Chopper has a capacity of 3-5 MW which is the upper limit of what can be achieved.  Offshore manglers can reach 10-15 MW in size.  This is capacity.  The actual usage is far below 3 MW or 15 MW.  So, the total cost per onshore structure is roughly about U$ 5-10 million for construction and operational maintenance. 

This means that in the UK, the government has spent some U$ 6-12 billion on the structures.  But this is not all.  Massive subsidies, tax breaks, hand-outs and write-offs exist in every country and are rarely if ever ‘accounted’ for in the cost of these things.  In the UK just in December 2023 alone, some £255 million was paid out by government in wind subsidies.  This is more than £3 billion per annum and rising.

On a per MW basis, the Bird-Choppers are 2 x more expensive than a clean burning coal plant (roughly 15 cents per KW), in which coal deposits in the UK and elsewhere are close to the surface and can be more easily mined than the visceral rape of Gaia to provide the various minerals for the Bird Manglers.  But this understates the actual cost.  Unreliability and using hydrocarbons and hydroelectric energy are real costs that increase wind farm costs by 50% (see below).  You never hear about the cost of unreliability from the ‘science’. 

Unreliability

The assumption from the fake eco-science is that the Bird Destroyers are available, ‘renewable’ or will have in the future battery storage capabilities to store energy when winds are strong and use the stored energy when there is no wind.  There is little factual evidence to support these religious claims. 

To calculate the annual energy production (AEP) of a wind turbine, you can use the following formula: 

AEP in MWh = (Capacity in MW) × (Capacity Factor) × (Number of Hours in a Year)

Assuming a capacity factor of 30%, an average onshore wind turbine with a capacity of 2 MW would have an annual energy production of approximately: AEP= 2 MW × 0.30 × 8760 hours/year≈ 5,256 MWh or enough to power 5000 homes for one month.  This output does not satisfy a modern society’s demand. 

Capacity depends on siting.  Good wind locations may have capacity factors ranging from 25% to 40%, with some high-performing turbines achieving even higher capacity factors.

Offshore wind turbines tend to have higher capacity factors, often exceeding 40%.  But in reality, what we are sold in MW output is not what is produced.  You are lucky if the monsters run at 50% of capacity.  It is a massive waste. 

Reliability issues with the Bird Eaters:

1.     Intermittency: Energy production is not constant.  When the wind is not blowing or is blowing at low speeds, wind turbines generate less or no electricity.  This intermittency is one of the reasons why energy storage solutions, such as batteries, and a mix of complementary energy sources are often integrated into renewable energy systems.

2.     Grid Location: To address the intermittency of wind energy, grid operators use various strategies, including forecasting, energy storage, and the integration of other renewable sources like solar and hydropower. Additionally, advancements in grid technologies and energy storage systems are improving the ability to manage and balance variable energy sources effectively.

3.     Hybrid Systems:  Integrating energy storage solutions, such as batteries, or hydropower with wind farms to capture excess electricity generated during periods of high wind and release it during periods of lower wind, smoothing out the intermittent nature of wind power. Hydropower can act as a complementary source that can be adjusted to balance fluctuations in wind energy production.  All of this is immature and unproductive, and yes technology can improve, but that does not negate the import of hydrocarbon usage. 

Oil usage

Much to the chagrin of the extremist fanatics, the Choppers need oil to work  – lubricant oil and grease to be specific.  Some 700 gallons for the average wind turbine is needed, replaced every 24 months or so.  The lubricants, including oils and greases, ensure the smooth operation of various components such as the gearbox and bearings.

The lubrication is essential for reducing friction, dissipating heat, and extending the life of these components.  If you ‘eliminate carbon’ how would the manglers operate?

There is worse for the ‘green’ fascists.  Hydrocarbons are used throughout the entire life cycle of building a Bird Chopper: 

Manufacture: The production of wind turbine components, including the tower, nacelle, blades, and other parts, involves energy-intensive manufacturing processes. The extraction and processing of raw materials, such as steel and composites, are almost entirely reliant on hydrocarbon energy. 

Transportation:  Wind turbine components are typically transported to the installation site using trucks, ships, or other conventional transportation methods.  The vast majority of these vehicles are powered by hydrocarbons, contributing to ‘emissions’ during the transportation phase.

Construction:  The installation of a wind turbine involves the use of hydrocarbon enabled construction equipment and machinery.

If you eliminate hydrocarbons the wind turbines cannot be built nor operated.  It is as simple as that. 

Pro-tip, hydrocarbons are not derived from dead dinosaurs or ‘Devonian’ algae.  Saying ‘Fossil Fuels’ is just stupid.  It really does hurt. 

Land

There is the small issue in many countries of wind farm density per square mile.  One megawatt = 1,000,000 watts of power and can power about 1000 homes for a month but in reality, wind turbines don’t come close to producing their rated capacity because of changing wind speeds.  This means that the density of wind farm deployment must increase to arrive at the total MW output as given by the climate extremists.  Take an onshore Bird Chopper as a case example:

·       Total real MW output of maximum 2 MW

·       Powers 2000 homes for a month

·       UK total Turbine capacity of 9000 produces 18 million MW of potential energy

·       This powers 18 million homes (most of the country) for one month

Politicians claim that wind power will be the main energy provider for grid-electricity and power consumption.  This is a non-scientific claim.  In the UK you would need to build 12 times the current estate of Bird Manglers to satisfy current demand or 100.000 more monsters.  Where would you put them?  Roughly 50 acres is needed for every wind-powered MW of output.  Consider the UK:

·       Number of onshore choppers:  9000

·       Total MW capacity (roughly):  18.000 to 27.000 MW

·       Number of acres to support the wind farms:  ~900.000 acres

·       Square miles supporting wind farm:  ~13.500

·       Total square miles in the UK:  93.000

·       Total square miles in parks, green areas:  30.000

·       Real ‘liveable’ acreage for a population of 80 million:  40.000 square miles

If the UK wants to say treble wind farm output, you will need to cover almost all of the truly ‘liveable’ space in the UK with wind turbines or 40.000 square miles.  This is ‘science’?  No it is stupid. 

Wildlife and Eco impact

One of the notable environmental concerns associated with the Bird Destroyers is their impact on birds and bats.  Death and destruction reign, never discussed by the fake news, fake science and fake green cults.  The evidence is clear that each chopper slices some 500-1500 large birds and bats per year.  In the UK this this might mean that some 5-10 million, yes million birds and bats are slaughtered per annum.  A long-term study in the US, based on carcasses, estimates that 13.000 bats and birds are murdered per day.  This is only 4.7 million massacred per year.  I don’t see why the UK or the Eutopia would be different.  Millions of large fowl are sacrificed each year, so a greentard can put a bumper sticker on his Tesla. How is this ‘green’?

The idiots, and yes they are idiots, will tell me, ‘cats’ kill more than the Choppers.  To that I say you are a moron.  Cats will kill songbirds not hawks, eagles or bats.  As a cat owner of 2 cats, over 15 years I have counted 2, yes 2 songbird deaths.  So please shut up about the cats. The Bird Manglers are the greatest killers of bats and large birds, not cats.

Murdering large fowl and birds is illegal in every country.  But not for the cult of green.  No, no, no.  It is okay to slaughter, slice and decapitate large creatures if you are saving Gaia, laws need not apply.  No fines, no fees, no jail-time.  All for the ‘common good’.  But is you the peasant kill an eagle or puffin; you will be jailed. 

I heard the same during the Rona fascism.  ‘If it saves one life’, unless you discuss murdering the old with midazolam, morphine or remdesivir or lockdowns.  Then the life matters not.  Let’s not discuss the carnage from the mRNA bioweapons and the unsafe, ineffective and deadly stabbinations.  Apparently, the dead and injured from the Pharma fascism and their unholy elixirs are okay, because maybe in a model somewhere, it saved a life (which the quackcines never did, not a single person was ‘saved’).  So we hear the ‘green’ half wits moan, in sympathy with the cult of Rona, that ‘the wind turbines save ‘Gaia’’, except they don’t.  Quite the opposite. 

Bottom Line – It is all Scientism and a Fallacy

The Bird Destroyers are rubbish. They may have a role to play but it is minor and must be limited. The aura around this technology is premised on junk science at its most pronounced and evil and hypocritical.  The Bird Manglers can only be sourced, moved, manufactured and emplaced with hydrocarbon technology.  In their manufacture we see nothing but waste, toxicity and gigatonnes of little Gaia’s skin and body being removed, holed, drilled, violated and raped.  Further, the Bird Eaters are utterly reliant on hydrocarbons in their life cycle and need hydrocarbon and hydroelectricity, powered by nuclear, coal and gas, as backup. 

No society will ever reach ‘Net Zero’ for the obvious reason that the ‘carbon’ used in the outputs of these giant bird slicers will always exceed any ‘savings’ from their rather meagre energy production.  On a per MW basis, land usage basis and mineral usage premise there is nothing to recommend the wholesale adoption of enormously expensive and eco-annihilating wind turbines.  They are unreliable, intermittent and fantastically expensive. 

Ergo, heretofore, we can conclude that there is no ‘science’ to the hyperbolic claims of running a modern state on medieval technology.  It is $cientism.  If you want the ‘science’ of the Bird Choppers, follow the money and the U$ 1 Trillion per annum market which animates the cult of Climate and Gaia. 

How many millionaires are minted every year from slaughtering birds and bats?  It is insanity, not morality.