In this episode of La Loupe, Xavier Yvon raises the question of recycling wind turbines with Valentin Ehkirch, journalist in the Climate and Transitions section of L’Express as well as Paul Franc and Pierre Rale, engineers specializing in renewable energies at Ademe.
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The team: Xavier Yvon (presentation), Mathias Penguilly (writing), Ambre Rosala (editing) and Jules Krot (directing).
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Picture credits: Gerard Julien / AFP
Logo: Anne-Laure Chapelain/Benjamin Chazal
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Xavier Yvon: A few days ago, I received a postcard from a friend who lives in the United States… and who listens to La Loupe a lot. He was traveling in the state of Wyoming – one of the least populated places in the country…
Valentin Ehkirch: Yes, I see very well – Yellowstone Park, the cowboys, Brokeback Mountainall that…
Xavier Yvon: That’s it, exactly… Wait, I’ll read it to you…
“Hi Xavier, hope you’re doing well…I’m writing to you from the lovely town of Casper – like the ghost – one of the biggest towns in Wyoming. It is a charming place, surrounded by gigantic snow-capped mountains, it sometimes feels like being in a whole other world…
A few days ago, I was walking around and came across something very surprising – shocking even. Thousands of wind turbine blades, neatly arranged, staggered, in a hole one meter deep… I quickly realized that they were going to be buried in the ground… It’s quite frightening. I’ll let you judge for yourself on the photo I’m attaching to this card, I think it might be of interest to the La Loupe team. I kiss you…”
So…
Valentin Ehkirch: Ah yes, I’ve seen this kind of pictures before. Often an argument of the anti-wind movements: we cannot recycle them. It would be less green than it looks…
Xavier Yvon: When I received this card, I immediately thought of you Valentin… We both know that France wants to develop its wind farm in the years to come… And of course, we can wonder how to get rid of old wind turbines…
Valentin Ehkirch: Yes it’s sure. Afterwards, I don’t believe that a massive landfill project was thought of in France (there would have been a lot of protest, we would have heard about it). Listen, I’m finishing an article on COP28… I suggest you investigate the subject later… And I’ll come see you in the studio as soon as I have enough info.
Valentin Ehkirch: That’s great ! Thank you very much… in the meantime I will tell my friend that there will soon be an episode on the subject.
For further
PODCAST. Energy transition: headwinds are blowing on French wind power
Wind turbines: a bad wind is blowing on the sector
Offshore wind power in France: “The challenge is now maritime spatial planning”
Wind turbines: “We are facing a vast company of disinformation”
Wind turbines in the North Sea: France lagging behind its neighbors