Wind farms have become a very common site around the country, and upon a little investigation, it’s pretty interesting how trucking plays a big part in these huge farms coming to be. Talking with Mike Pantuso who is the Senior Field Operations Manager and Head of Consulting and Training for Global Specialized Services in Casper, WY, he shared a wealth of knowledge with us. Mike was a driver that hauled extremely heavy loads, as well as the components for windmill towers, before getting off the road and getting into the consultation side of the business.
Specializing in everything that it takes to get a wind farm going, Mike helps with it all – from finding a site location, to tower construction, and all the final details of generating energy. Initially, sites are scouted, and then temporary towers are put up. Tests are done to learn the megawatts that the tower can put out, the average wind in the area, and everything else needed to prove that this will be a good location. A pin is dropped in the center of the proposed location to see how wide and long the farm will need to be. To get a new wind farm started, the investment can be $750 million to $1 billion.
Getting the base for each tower built takes a lot of time. First, a 50’ wide by 50’ deep hole is dug, then rebar cages are put in, then concrete is poured 1/3 of the way up. It takes 27-28 days for this to cure, and then core samples are taken before the next 1/3 section can have the cages placed and concrete poured. Again, the cure time is 27-28 days, and then more core samples are pulled. After the final 1/3 pour is complete and core samples show no cracks, it’s time to backfill around the base and then start trenching for the underground lines that will take the power from the tower to a substation that is built for the farm. All this preparation has to be done before you can start putting the tower up.
There can be 9-16 truckloads of parts for just one tower. The weights on these towers, when you think about how tall they are going to be, is incredible! The generator can weigh up to 200,000 pounds, the drivetrain that goes in it can weigh 180,000 pounds, the rotor can weigh 120,000 pounds, each of the three blades weighs 55,000 pounds, and each of the three sections of the tower can weigh between 80,000-160,000 pounds each, with the lighter pieces on top. These weights all depend on the size of the tower being built, and each tower can cost $3-5 million.
When hauling a one-piece blade, it takes a “steerman” and two pilot cars. The back of a blade trailer is steerable, and it used to be that the pilot car driver behind the truck hauling the blade often did double duty, steering the trailer remotely, and trying to block traffic and keep the public safe. Now, most states have laws that say these jobs must be separate, with one person focused on steering the trailer, while the other in the pilot car keeps traffic safe.
Today, they are designing even bigger towers, to produce more energy, to pay for themselves more quickly. Blades are now being shipped in two pieces instead of one, which is what most of us are used to seeing on the road. The towers can now be in seven sections, instead of three, as well. When you look at the blade of a wind tower turning, they look like they are in slow motion, but in reality, a 144’ blade, making the full circle in five seconds, is going 55 mph (that is their max speed, measured from when the blade is in the straight up noon position and then back to that position).
What is even crazier is the giant cranes used to put these towers together. It can take 70-80 truckloads to build one crane big enough to set these heavy pieces. They have to put in special crane pads and roads, designed to support this really heavy equipment, and to be able to move from site to site, that are easy to install and then remove for minimal site restoration. It often takes longer to walk the crane from one site to the next than it does to set the tower, as they can set 2-3 towers in the span of a day.
It takes special coordination to get the pieces to the site as they are needed. To help facilitate this process, there are storage locations across the country where components can be held until they are needed at the job site. Roads have to be built for trucks to be able to access each tower site, and when the job is done, the site has to be restored (but they still have to be able to access each tower for maintenance when it needs to be done).
After a wind farm is operational, I was surprised to learn that there are frequent occurrences of lightning strikes and mechanical issues with the tower’s huge generators. Lightning can damage blades, and if a generator can’t be fixed, it needs to be replaced. Most companies will wait until there are several towers that need this kind of work done to them before they send in a crew to take care of them all at once. The average life of a tower is 20-25 years, but technology is forging ahead in this area, too. Mike was telling us about a farm that was old, and they dismantled 66 towers, replacing them with just 13 newer towers, for the same energy output.
There are anywhere from 80-120 individual turbines in an average wind farm, depending on the area, but some farms are smaller. They are all equipped with a flashing red light on top to warn air traffic at night. I’m sure most of us have driven by a wind farm at night and seen the blinking light show these towers put on – it’s almost like a small city with all the buildings being the same height. I can remember years ago the wind farms on the mountainside of Tehachapi east of Bakersfield, CA, as well as the one along I-10 near Palm Springs, CA. The wind is plentiful in these places, and they were the “pioneer” farms for the ones we see today. Since then, these farms have been updated with newer (and larger) turbines, and they continue to be useful.
In the Midwest, one thing I’ve always noticed, is when the wind farm is finally finished, there are crops planted around the bases. From afar, it seems, these towers don’t really take up that much space, but in reality, they are really massive. Wind power is part of the future, and I don’t see us turning back. One thing is for sure, the wind is always going to blow, maybe not every day, but enough days that it will give us some of the power we need to run this great nation. For all of you out there hauling the wind, be safe, because it is amazing how heavy that “wind” can be!