I forget what site it was, but they addressed the bearings and how long the turbine lasts... and it was a LONG time. only consideration was an "arid" envoronment with lots of sand. or having winds over 50Meters per second if I remember correctly.
if you notice the DOT pole they elevated the battery box on that one... Just some info...
They said the barings are sealed and no maintainence..the pole is encased in concrete and a nonstick finish to repel grafitti...Do some DD, its in there...Go SAVW