Helicopters do not de-ice rotor blades with chemicals

The claim

Apparently rotor blades are de-iced with chemicals. The claim (sic!): “Winter in Germany is when kerosene propellers rise to spray chemicals so that the eco-propellers run again…”

Our conclusion

Text and image do not match. In addition, this is not current and did not come from Germany. This picture was taken years ago during a water de-icing test project in Sweden. These are not chemicals, but rather warm water that is used to de-ice the wind turbine.

One image shows the icy rotor blades of a wind turbine and a helicopter spraying liquid. This picture has been circulating on social media again and again since February 2023 and has been doing so for at least 2 years now. We ourselves reported .

The text on the picture as wording: "Winter in Germany is when kerosene propellers rise to spray chemicals so that the eco-propellers run again..." — Screenshot 2023: Facebook

Fact check: Helicopters do not de-ice rotor blades with chemicals

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The picture does not come from Germany, but from Sweden and is a few years old. Here you can see de-icing with hot water and not with chemicals. According to the Federal Wind Energy Association, such de-icing does not take place in Germany.

“The image shows the extremely unusual de-icing of a wind turbine in Sweden in 2016. Hot water was used. Such de-icing is generally not carried out in Germany.”
Source: Federal Wind Energy Association (BWE) press release

Ice formation on wind turbines

3 questions, 3 answers, with Wolfram Axthelm, managing director of the Federal Wind Energy Association

1. A photo of a helicopter that supposedly uses chemicals to de-ice a wind turbine has been circulating on the Internet for a few days. What's it all about?

The photo was neither taken this year nor in Germany. The photo shows the extremely unusual de-icing of a wind turbine in Sweden in 2016. Hot water was used. Such de-icing is generally not carried out in Germany. The image is false news that is only being spread to damage the reputation of wind energy.

2. What do German wind farm operators do if their systems freeze during long periods of frost?

In Germany, icy rotor blades only play a minor role. In normal weather conditions it rarely occurs, even in winter. If icing does occur, the systems are automatically switched off and only put back into operation when the ice has thawed. This year we had a special weather situation in the middle of Germany that had been unique for many years: rain at very low temperatures and then significantly below zero temperatures. That's why the systems, especially in Hesse, were idle for a few days. The operators accept the resulting losses.

3. How do wind farm operators proceed in regions where such frost periods occur more frequently?

In Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia, ice formation on wind turbines plays a larger role. Manufacturers offer special cold climate systems for this purpose. These include, among other things, leaf heaters that can prevent ice from forming. There are also sensors that detect ice build-up and switch off the system early. Such systems are also being built in areas in Germany that are at risk of ice accretion.

Photo came from Sweden, 2015

The photo itself can be found in an article on the Swedish website “NyTeknik” . The article was published on January 25, 2015. The following caption was added to the photo:

Swedish: Hett vatten får isen att smälta loss från turbinen.
Form during days vid and test in Uljabuouda wind power park for winter. English: Hot water melts the ice on the turbine. The image was taken during a test at the Uljabuouda wind farm last winter.
Photo: Alpine Helicopter

And what about the accusation that helicopters (powered by fossil fuels) are used for de-icing in Germany?

No, helicopters are not used for this purpose in Germany. The AFP has asked both the Federal Wind Energy Association and the Federal Environment Agency about this. Both bodies were able to confirm that neither helicopters nor chemicals are used to de-ice wind turbines in Germany. The things simply stop when they ice up and are only used again when the frost has thawed.

In Germany, icy rotor blades only play a minor role. In normal weather conditions it rarely occurs, even in winter. If icing does occur, the systems are automatically switched off and only put back into operation when the ice has thawed.
Source: Federal Wind Energy Association (BWE) press release

Conclusion: The image circulating on social media with the text: “ Winter in Germany is when kerosene propellers rise to spray chemicals so that the eco-propellers run again…” is several years old and comes from Sweden. It is a so-called “hybrid fake”. This means that part of the statement is inevitably true, but the other part is not. This was a de-icing project using warm water, not chemicals. In Germany, neither chemicals, water nor helicopters are used.

Item image: Alpine Helicopter

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