Reply from Germany.
Q. why does the Pedestal need to be replaced? Surely there is some kind of fabric maintenance carried out during a Turbines service life. I can understand the need to replace the Turbine unit and perhaps the blades.
A. The windmill as a whole is a very complex system. Everything is precisely coordinated. When you replace the turbine - let's say after 20 years- other/ better turbines are state of the art. In such a complex system, it's impossible to replace just a part. Imagine you want to replace the gearbox of your 20-year-old car with a gearbox of a modern car. Maybe a tinkerer can do it, but not on an industrial scale. In the gearbox example, not only the screw holes won't fit. The problems are much deeper. There are different rotations per minute, different torque, parts are subject to material aging and so on.
Q. I read an article that a German/Spanish company Siemens Gamsea have designed a blade that is now possible to recycle at the end of its serviceable life. The new Blades are to enter service this year and are made in Denmark.
A. I heard something, but sorry, not in detail.
Q. Also, in Germany they are bringing back online again Coal fired power stations that had been mothballed this is due to the sanctions imposed against Russia because of the war in Ukraine.
A. Yes, Russia's war in Ukraine is the reason. It is impossible to build so many windmill and solar fields in such a short time. We have to use what's there at the moment.
Cheers, Rodney
