Old (California Wind) Turbines Get a Second Wind Through Remanufacturing

January 26, 2009, 8:45 am

Old Turbines Get a Second Wind Through Remanufacturing

By Libby Tucker

Wind energy technology has advanced so much in recent decades that a handful of larger, more efficient turbines can now do the same job as hundreds of smaller turbines, allowing utilities to squeeze more electricity out of the same area of land.

That means that many owners of wind farms built during the California wind rush of the 1980s are starting to upgrade their equipment — and in the process, they are expected to send thousands of worn-out, old machines to the scrap heap over the next five to 10 years.

But a growing number of new companies are snapping up the old turbines on the cheap, overhauling the systems and reselling them to farmers or other community wind developers at bargain prices.

http://www.halus.com/">Halus Power Systems in Hayward, Calif., http://www.energyms.com/products_services/remanufacturing.php">Energy Maintenance Service in Howard, S. Dak., http://aeronauticawind.com/aw/index.htm">Aeronautica Windpower in Plymouth, Mass. and http://nexiondg.com/">Nexion DG in Portland, Ore. all offer remanufactured wind turbines salvaged from wind farms in California.

…