Here’s one of those vids that isn’t exciting but is fascinating. In 2005, the Tennessee Valley Authority installed three wind turbines on top of Windrock Park’s Buffalo Mountain. Three years later, the TVA added 15 more turbines. All told, the 18 windmills could generate 29 megawatts of power, enough to run 3,750 homes.
In 2021, for reasons we haven’t been able to figure out, the TVA tore down three of the turbines. Today’s turbines have an expected service life of 25 to 30 years, so it’s possible age is a factor.
YouTube channel Windrock TV, which calls itself the “trail maintenance chronicle” for the nation’s largest privately owned off-road park, captured a crew tearing down one of the turbines. Contrary to the intricacy of the design and installation of a turbine, removal is the most low-rent operation you could imagine. Think, pulling a tooth with a string and a doorknob, but the tooth is a wind turbine and the doorknob is a front-end loader.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Enjoy.
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