The height of these things IS a very significant driver in the MAINTENANCE of these things. You need specially trained personnel, the time it takes to climb and get parts and tools up to these things and the remoteness of the site. Also, there is no economy of scale with wind farms. You need hundreds of these units to just to equal the output of a coal or nuke plant, which usually have just a couple of units.
Only during a significant event where a specialized crane needs to be brought in.
You need specially trained personnel, the time it takes to climb and get parts and tools up to these things and the remoteness of the site.
Yes, wind farm O&M personnel are specially trained, but not highly paid. And, many newer/larger turbines have elevators in the towers and/or a small crane in the nacelle to hoist some heavier items. O&M personnel are also located on site (or nearby) with an anticipated level of spare parts if needed.
Also, there is no economy of scale with wind farms.
There is indeed an economy of scale when planning the construction and O&M for smaller or larger wind farms.
You need hundreds of these units to just to equal the output of a coal or nuke plant, which usually have just a couple of units.
I'm not arguing to replace coal, nuke, or gas-fired generation with wind. The wind is free, the energy in the wind can be harnessed, so why not tap another resource even if it is a little more expensive? Like adding some fixed income or gold to an investment portfolio even though the returns aren't as high or risky as other options?