The anti-wind lobby has a video and highlight the coal to build wind turbines with a scary video (below). What they don’t say that it is cannibalism. The 4MW wind turbine would produce 660 times more electricity than the coal used to build the turbine. Further, to get the equivalent electricity from coal over 30 years, would require over a quarter million tonnes of coal burnt. With carbon emissions of 1,000 versus 8 gCO2e/kWh as discussed in this post on carbon footprint of wind.
Coal to build Wind Turbine
The coal to build a 4MW wind turbine is given below from the anti-wind farm statements. They are factually wrong. They just count the coking coal for iron ore. So the amount of energy is higher than they claim, but that is just the inputs.
- 260t of steel
- 300t of iron ore
- 170t coking coal
- Mined, transported, and manufactured using hydrocarbons.
Consumesrecycles10,0002,600 litres oil. Claim is 10,000 litres but reality is a quarter of that, and fully recycled.- Buried in forests. Claimed. Most new turbines are fully recyclable.
Coal Electricity
The coal needed to build just one 4MW turbine over its lifetime is repaid more than 50 times over its lifetime
- 1kg coal = 2.5kWh of electricity
- Needs 168,192t of coal for equivalent electricity from wind
- Cost of coal = $13m (@$80/t)
- Life Cycle Analysis Emissions = 1,000gCO2eq/kWh
- Pollutants: methane, coal ash, mercury, thorium, uranium
Wind Turbine
- 4 MW, 30 year life
- 40% Capacity Factor
- ∴ Total electricity over lifetime = 420,480 MWh
- 4 to 8 months to payback all the energy to build
- 50 times energy back over a lifetime
- Cost of wind = zero
- LCA Emissions = 8gCO2eq/kWh
- Fully recyclable
Protection for Environment
Renewable electricity and other infrastructure project permitting require a nonrevocable bond covering end-of-project decommissioning and complete site restoration. Unlike most coal, gas and nuclear plants do not.
Worth noting that the Audubon Society and every credible nature conservancy on Earth avidly endorse “properly sited” renewables … precisely because it is 100 times less destructive of wildlife and habitat than are fossil and nuclear power, including their fuel supply chain and constant stream of pollution in use.
A Meme to Share
Feel free to distribute this meme.
References
- Michael Thomas https://x.com/curious_founder/status/1831400487415116140
- Why is Paramount plus promoting big oil with its landman series. lhttps://cleantechnica.com/2025/01/16/why-is-paramount-plus-promoting-big-oil-with-its-landman-series/
Preying on the gullible. Here is the amount of waste for solar waste. Just for comparison with coal ash waste.
Landman Fossil Fuel Promotion
Landman is a TV series that has similar claims. Claims are taken directly from fossil fuel industry lies. The story plot is deep in the heart of West Texas, roughnecks and wildcat billionaires try to get rich quick in the oil business as oil rigs begin to dominate the state. Crisis executive Tommy Norris tries to bring his company to the top during a fuelling boom.
A takedown of the landman lies and how they got into the series can be found online.
