The Mechanicsville Monster
How NOT to handle wind turbine end of life
If you’ve watched the latest Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One (now on Netflix), you know it is a return to the gritty storyline of human survival and ingenuity. Japanese society is struggling to recover from years of war. Hunger and homelessness are everywhere. And just when things couldn’t get worse, the U.S. begins atomic testing in the Bikini Atoll, waking Godzilla from his slumber.
Japan begins to recover; homes rebuilt, human bonds reformed. The future looks brighter. And then, BOOM! Godzilla makes his way towards the homeland. Stomping down the streets, knocking down buildings, and using his atomic breath to vaporize what the Japanese have just built. Only when the Japanese citizens work together, to focus and collaborate, do they push Godzilla back into ocean’s depths.
Okay, I’m a sucker for a good Godzilla movie. I won’t tell you how the Japanese defeat Godzilla - you’ll have to watch the movie. Just know that there will be a sequel.
And, before the sequel, a real-life analogy - in the US.
A Different Horror in Iowa
Over in Mechanicsville, Iowa, a Godzilla-like event has occurred to local farmers, Steve and Teresa Weets. Two wind turbines were installed on their property back in 2012 and the turbines operated for several years. And the lease checks hit the mailbox. Everything was copacetic.
Then, several years ago, the turbines were stopped and were left in place. The explanations regarding the shutdown are left for interpretation. Unfortunately, it set up a perfect situation for Godzilla to rise up and attack.
A winter storm in early 2023 brought the first Godzilla event. Lightning struck one of the turbines, causing it to catch fire. The turbine was taken down, mostly, by the operator. But damage to the farmland during the fire and subsequent tear-down remained.
Then, in 2024, Godzilla struck again: another lightning strike lit the second turbine on fire. The burned turbine blades lay in the field, taking acres of valuable farm land out of production. The tower remained standing.
And then this summer the remaining tower was hit again by lightning (Good grief, Godzilla event #3) - causing it to reignite.
In November, the second turbine tower was taken down with explosives. But much more work needs to be done. The turbine towers were made of concrete (of course). When the tower hit the ground, the weight of the tower imploded the structure, spreading concrete chucks across over 200 acres of the property. What a mess!
Now local officials and residents are gathering to discuss how to prevent these Godzilla situations from happening again. Those discussions are headed in three main directions:
Requiring minimal levels of maintenance and operational performance.
Forcing owners/operators to hold bonds for the proper removal of turbines.
Limiting where wind turbines can be installed.
In the Weeks’ case, requiring the owner/operator to remove all debris and remediate the land seems like the only right action. It has yet to happen. The debris was still strewn about the property after harvest time had come and gone. video here
Will Trump’s Wind Moratorium Bring Improvement?
This is a Godzilla story. But another drama is unfolding as the new administration searches for ways to squelch wind development. The first executive order apparently (?) aiming to shut down the industry also included language about reviewing projects that are underway to protect consumers. We can’t have it both ways, but reasonable regulation and oversight will protect landowners like the Weeks, and ultimately require the industry to keeps its nose clean.
More will develop over the coming months, but know this - wind developers in Iowa, and across the country, will meet a growing force of citizens who want to stop Godzilla events.
It’s past time for the wind industry to send Godzilla back to the depth of the oceans for a long sleep. That can only occur if industry sets new standards for itself.
No more poorly maintained turbines. No more abandoned wind sites. And if a site must come down, funds and a plan must be in place to clean it up. Properly.
Sayonara, Godzilla!
Stay charged.
Allen
P.S. There are many positive examples in the wind industry - that’s why we highlight wind farms that are good producers and good neighbors in our Wind Farm of the Week segment during the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. Tune in!