Falmouth Wind Turbines Safety Sheets SF6 Gas

The Town of Falmouth owns two Vestas V-82 type 1.65 megawatt wind turbines designed in the late 1990s and assembled in the early 2000s. The turbines were installed in 2010 and 2012.

Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) is a pollutant that is known or suspected to cause cancer which is also 23,500 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and remains in the atmosphere for at least 1,000 years.

Vestas wind company updated its MSDS, Material Safety Data Sheets, warnings on SF6 gas in March of 2017. Incidentally, the Massachusetts courts shut down both town-owned wind turbines in June of 2017 as they are a nuisance.

Next is the information from Vestas 2017:

Vestas Wind Turbine Greenhouse gas SF6 Sulphur hexafluoride

Vestas Material restricted list Document ID: 0064-0319
Valid from: 15 March 2017

2017.01.30 New document, information comes from the old Version 6. Vestas Chemical and Material Blacklist

1. Purpose The purpose of this document is to provide information about which products Vestas has restricted the use of based on regional or local legislation, and which products Vestas restricts the use of due to their special hazard classification. The overall aim of the list is to protect employees and ensure the future production by limiting the use of products which are expected to be prohibited by authorities in the future.

2. Area of Validity The Material Restricted List is applicable for chemicals and materials used in Vestas products, for testing, maintaining or servicing Vestas’ products, in Vestas’ production, in Vestas’ buildings as well as in all business units of Vestas Wind Systems.

3. Coming into force This Material Restricted List is coming into force with the 7th version of the Vestas Blacklist, since the information in the Material restricted list was previously located in the Vestas Chemical and Material Blacklist. This Material Restricted List is valid for all newly introduced chemicals and materials that are not already in use in Vestas. Materials already in use in Vestas that are restricted according to the restricted list must be reevaluated and, if necessary, have an action plan created for their continued use. This action plan must be prepared by 1st of September 2017. Restricted Materials must be evaluated for the possibility of using an alternative product. Evaluations and Action Plans for the restricted product must be prepared by 1st of September 2017.

4. Legal considerations Even if a product is not prohibited in a country, there can still be a lot of restrictions on its use. For example, Carcinogenic, Mutagenic and Reproductive toxic substances, also known as CMR compounds are not illegal to use in countries such as Spain, Denmark, and China. However, there are several restrictions and requirements for using these substances. Examples of these are special requirements for storage of the materials under lock, special training or requirements of employees and special permits for the factory or location. It is therefore important to investigate the specific legal requirements in the specific countries where the product is to be used.

5. Vestas Material Restricted list The Vestas Material restricted list contains two tables. The first contains specific overall hazards classifications which makes a product restricted according to the list. The second table contains specific substances with very high focus from the authorities for being phased out and is likely to be prohibited in the future and these are therefore also restricted.

Table 2: Substances Group Substance CAS-no. Remarks/ reference

Greenhouse gas SF6 (Sulphur hexafluoride) (Insulator in switchgear)

https://www.vestas.com/~/media...

Readers opinion of Vestas Document :

Most of the wind turbines contain SF6 gas, which is 23,500 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and remains in the atmosphere for at least 1,000 years.

Wind turbines leak a small amount of gas during normal operation.

Sulfur hexafluoride, or SF6, is widely used in the electrical industry to prevent short circuits and accidents.

Cheap and non-flammable, SF6 is a colorless, odorless, synthetic gas. It makes a hugely effective insulating material for medium and high-voltage electrical installations.

It is widely used across the industry, from large power stations to wind turbines to electrical sub-stations in towns and cities. It prevents electrical accidents and fires.

Just one kilogram of SF6 warms the Earth to the same extent as 24 people flying London to New York return.

It also persists in the atmosphere for a long time, warming the Earth for at least 1,000 years.

As renewable projects are getting bigger and bigger, we have had to use it within wind turbines specifically,Another concern is that SF6 is a synthetic gas and isn't absorbed or destroyed naturally. It will all have to be replaced and destroyed to limit the impact on the climate.

Carbon Dioxide Is Not the Worst Greenhouse Gas, Meet SF6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGpDFgTfRYU