I’ve always wondered about the removal of defunct wind turbines. Is there a fund put aside by the companies to take them down or will they become an environmental slum?
Take a drive through Altamont pass east of Oakland some time. It’s a cemetery for old (non-functioning) turbines. Still standing, not turning.
All surface (strip) mines require “reclamation bonds” to restore the land to its original state prior to mining. Rep. Morris Udall was an original sponsor of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
To my knowledge, there are no such reclamation bonds for wind turbines. Can you imagine the junkyard we are going to have when these things reach the end of their useful lives in 20 to 40 years?
This has already happened in California once. The federal and state gravy train ended once and many machines rusted to a halt. The Altamont Pass was littered with hulking wind junk, a monument to our stupidity.
It will definitely happen again.