Greenhouse gas SF6 Climate killer in wind turbines
Last updated: 18.08.2022 15:48
Wind farms should be expanded more quickly. But the plants contain a substance that contributes to the greenhouse effect. Although this would be avoidable, the EU wants to allow long transition periods.
By Michael Houben, MDR
Sulfur hexafluoride has fascinating properties. First of all: the gas is a perfect insulator. That is why it is mainly used in so-called switchgears - i.e. "nodes" where the electrical energy is distributed. Gas-insulated switchgear is especially practical where there is little space. Therefore, such switches are installed, for example, in wind turbines.
But the substance also has a fatal property: sulfur hexafluoride - in short: SF6 - has the strongest greenhouse effect of all known substances. It acts around 22,800 times as strong as the identical amount of carbon dioxide. And: once it has entered the atmosphere, it takes more than 3000 years for SF6 to decompose again and become ineffective.
This has been known for decades. Already in 1997, the Kyoto Protocol stipulated that the emissions of SF6 must be limited. In many previous fields of application, it no longer plays a role today - except in electrical switchgear. There is still no legal regulation for SF6 in this area. Only a voluntary commitment of the industry to use the substance only in closed systems and to recycle or chemically neutralize it at the end of its service life. This voluntary commitment from 1998 also includes that the quantities used and recycled are recorded and reported. PlusMinus livestream Image
18.08.2022 Plusminus SF6 - The dormant danger in wind turbines ardmediathek.de
SF6 is probably the most powerful and therefore the most dangerous greenhouse gas that exists. Of all things, this gas can be found in almost every wind turbine, although they are supposed to help save our climate. Inaccurate data on actual emissions
According to these data reported by the industry, only a small amount of SF6 is currently escaping into the air. Nevertheless, these quantities contribute more to the greenhouse effect in Germany than the entire domestic air traffic. When scientists from various universities and authorities around the world compared the actual concentrations in the atmosphere with the reported data a few years ago, they came to the result: in Europe, there is almost 50 percent more SF6 in the air than would be possible according to reported emission data.
And: Germany is by far the largest issuer in Europe. In plain language: the data reported by the industry must be wrong. A study by the Federal Environment Agency also came to the conclusion in 2018 that the monitoring of recycling was insufficient. Wind turbines near Warstein
14.07.2022 Renewable energies Expansion of wind turbines stagnates
The expansion of wind turbines is not progressing in Germany - with economic consequences for the industry. No control in recycling
The ARD business magazine Plusminus has therefore asked the most important manufacturers of wind turbines. There was feedback from Nordex and Vestas that there was currently no alternative. And: During the operation of wind turbines, only minimal amounts of SF6 would escape into the air, and proper disposal at the end of the service life of wind turbines would be ensured.
However, the manufacturers are not responsible for this themselves. Every owner of a wind turbine that is to be dismantled has to take care of the complex recycling himself. And in case of doubt, it is easier to let the substance escape into the environment. A check does not take place. Wind turbines above the municipality of Bell im Hunsrück, Rhineland-Palatinate | picture alliance / Andreas Gilln
Exclusive 17.08.2022 Renewable energy monuments against wind turbines
The wind power industry complains that the energy transition is being slowed down by the protection of historical monuments. Alternatives are often not wanted
There are alternatives to SF6. Siemens Energy has long since developed it for wind turbines of its subsidiary Gamesa. The switches are located there in a vacuum tube and are therefore perfectly insulated. Various suppliers of high-voltage switches, which are used in small substations and have also been insulated with the problematic gas so far, have already switched to climate-neutral alternatives. Only the manufacturers of wind turbines continue to insist in the fierce price competition that the climate killer is still indispensable.
The EU now wanted to restrict and ultimately ban the use of sulfur hexafluoride in a new regulation. Such a thing is often a lengthy process in Europe, which the group chairman of the Greens in the European Parliament, Bas Eickhout, describes as follows: "There were big players in the market who earn money with it. They have successfully lobbied, argued that the energy transition should not be hindered and that SF6 would be needed for this. And: there were also some German companies that put pressure on."
The result is sobering: according to the current draft, the use of SF6 in switchgear will only be prohibited from 2030. A transition period of another eight years - although there are already viable alternatives today. A few plants grow sporadically on cracked arable soil. / dpa
28.06.2022 Latest news on the climate crisis
Here you will find an overview of all reports from tagesschau.de the climate crisis.
Sorry but no. They emit too much smoke when you blow them out. I suggest catching a bunch of fireflies and putting them in a jar. I don't know what they eat, but it can't be much.
(post is archived)