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capacities of 1.5 MW to 2.5 MW, 103 and many blades deployed today exceed this length. Figure 5-11 shows the
transport of an 80-meter blade bound for a 7-MW offshore test turbine in Scotland. The limits of the existing
transportation infrastruc tures are now constraining component designs as manufacturers try to balance
optimal energy production with transportability. 104
Figure 5-11. Transport of Large Wind Turbine Blade 105
As wind turbines continue to grow in size, project developers will face greater challenges in transporting components. This 80-meter blade is being
transported to a 7-MW test turbine in Scotland.
Transporting components of this size requires coordination of movement through ports, tunnels, overpasses,
and turning areas, 106 and often puts significant stress on small and rural roads. The larger and more complex
wind projects become, the more developers will be challenged by Federal vehicle weight limits r and differing
state and local requirements for issuing permits for oversize and overweight vehicles. Nacelles s for new turbines
can weigh more than 80 tons 107 and, according to the American Wind Energy Association, “A truck carrying a
tower section must be able to support a load ... that is over 30 meters long and weighs over 150,000 pounds.” 108
In addition to limited availability of specialized trailers for blade transport, projects are also challenged by the
availability of the large mobile cranes capable of lifting the very heavy components onto tall towers, and the
cranes alone may require more than 100 semi-tractor trailers to move between projects. 109
The National Energy Renewable Laboratory has underscored these logistical concerns, noting that “The
challenges and costs associated with transporting taller towers and very long blades with wide chord lengths
also affects wind plant deployments and will become more constraining as wind turbines increase in size
and height. Similarly, trucking heavy nacelles and blades with larger root diameters could become challenges
meriting additional attention.” 110 Increasingly complex logistical challenges are requiring shippers to use a
variety of land transportation methods and modes, resulting in increased project costs of up to 10 percent of
capital costs for some projects. 111
r
Federally mandated maximum weights for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways and reasonable access thereto (23
C.F.R. § 658.17): 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight; 20,000 pound single axle weight; 34,000 pound tandem axle weight.
s
A nacelle is the box-like component that sits atop the tower that contains the majority of the approximately 8,000 components of the
wind turbine, such as the gearbox, generator, main frame, etc.
QER Report: Energy Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Infrastructure | April 2015 5-25