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The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for lifting and/or removing a rotor blade to and from a wind turbine. In one embodiment, the system includes an up-tower pulley mounted on an up-tower location of the wind turbine, first and second ground winches, a pulley cable from the firs

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for lifting and/or removing a rotor blade to and from a wind turbine. In one embodiment, the system includes an up-tower pulley mounted on an up-tower location of the wind turbine, first and second ground winches, a pulley cable from the first ground winch over the up-tower pulley and attached to the rotor blade, a guide line attached between an up-tower location of the wind turbine and the second ground winch, a guide pulley mounted on the guide line, and a guide cable from the guide line over the guide pulley to the rotor blade. Thus, the guide pulley is configured to move along the guide line during lifting and removing of the rotor blade so that the guide cable can control an orientation of the rotor blade relative to the tower during lifting and removing of the rotor blade.

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1. A method for removing a rotor blade from atop a tower of a wind turbine, the method comprising: positioning the rotor blade being removed in a substantially six o'clock position;installing at least one up-tower pulley at an up-tower location of the wind turbine;attaching a pulley cable from a fir

1. A method for removing a rotor blade from atop a tower of a wind turbine, the method comprising: positioning the rotor blade being removed in a substantially six o'clock position;installing at least one up-tower pulley at an up-tower location of the wind turbine;attaching a pulley cable from a first ground winch over the up-tower pulley to the rotor blade;attaching a guide line from a second ground winch to an up-tower location of the wind turbine;securing a guide pulley to the guide line, wherein the guide pulley is configured to move along the guide line;securing a guide cable from the rotor blade to the guide line over the guide pulley and back to the rotor blade so as to control an orientation of the rotor blade relative to the tower as the rotor blade is being lowered;allowing the guide pulley and the guide cable to move along the guide line until the guide pulley and the guide cable reach an end of the guide line;rotating the rotor blade to a generally horizontal position when the guide pulley and the guide wire are located at the end of the guide line by lowering the blade root of the rotor blade via the pulley cable and the first ground winch; and,lowering the rotor blade in the generally horizontal position by coordinated winch operation to a location on or adjacent to a support surface of the wind turbine. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising lowering the rotor blade an initial vertical distance from a rotor of the wind turbine before attaching the up-tower pulley. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising attaching a third pulley to an attachment point at the rotor of the wind turbine and attaching an additional pulley cable from a third ground winch over the third pulley to the guide pulley to control a location of the guide pulley along the guide line. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising lowering the rotor blade by coordinated winch operation until the rotor blade reaches a predetermined location and then rotating the rotor blade to the generally horizontal position. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined location is determined by a stopping point of the up-tower pulley, wherein the stopping point of the up-tower pulley is controlled by at least one of the following: an additional winch, a controlled pulley cable, an additional pulley, or a fixed line. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising attaching an additional pulley cable between an up-tower location of the wind turbine and the guide pulley to control a location of the guide pulley along the guide line, wherein the additional pulley cable comprises a fixed length. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of attaching the guide cable from the guide line over the guide pulley to the rotor blade further comprises attaching the guide cable to a blade tip of the rotor blade. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning the first and second winches on top of each other. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning the first and second winches at a 90-degrees angle with respect to each another and the tower. 10. A method for lifting a rotor blade of a wind turbine from a support surface to a rotor, the method comprising: attaching a pulley cable from a first ground winch over an up-tower pulley at an up-tower location of the wind turbine to the rotor blade;attaching a guide line from a second ground winch to an up-tower location of the wind turbine, wherein the guide line comprises a guide pulley configured thereon at an end of the guide line, the guide pulley configured to move from an initial position at the end of the guide line and then along the guide line as the rotor blade is being lifted;securing a guide cable from the rotor blade to the guide line over the guide pulley and back to the rotor blade so as to control an orientation of the rotor blade relative to the tower from an initial horizontal position with the guide pulley at the aid of the guide line towards a generally vertical position as the rotor blade is being lifted; and,lifting the rotor blade via the pulley cable by coordinated ground winch operation to the rotor. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: attaching a third pulley to an up-tower location of the wind turbine; and,attaching a pulley cable from a third ground winch over the third pulley to the guide pulley to control a location of the guide pulley along the guide line. 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising attaching a pulley cable between an up-tower location of the wind turbine and the guide pulley to control a location of the guide pulley along the guide line, wherein the third pulley cable comprises a fixed length. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of securing the guide cable from the rotor blade to the guide line over the guide pulley and back to the rotor blade further comprises attaching the guide cable to a blade tip of the rotor blade. 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising positioning the first and second winches on top of each other. 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising positioning the first and second winches at a 90-degrees angle with respect to each another and the tower. 16. A system for lifting and removing a rotor blade of a wind turbine to and from a rotor installed atop a wind turbine tower, the system comprising: at least one up-tower pulley mounted on an up-tower location of the wind turbine;a first ground winch and a second ground winch disposed at a location at or adjacent to a support surface of the tower;a pulley cable extending from the first ground winch over the up-tower pulley and secured to the rotor blade;a guide line secured between the second ground winch and an up-tower location of the wind turbine;a guide pulley mounted on an end of the guide line, wherein the guide pulley is configured to move along the guide line during lifting and removing of the rotor blade; and,a guide cable extending from the rotor blade to the guide line over the guide pulley and directly back to the rotor blade so as to control an orientation of the rotor blade relative to the tower during lifting and removing of the rotor blade, such that when the guide pulley is at the end of the guide line, the rotor blade is rotated to or from a generally horizontal position as the pulley cable is lowered or raised by the first round winch. 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising: a third pulley attached to an up-tower location of the wind turbine; and,a pulley cable from a third ground winch over the third pulley to the guide pulley to control a location of the guide pulley along the guide line. 18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a pulley cable extending between an up-tower location of the wind turbine and the guide pulley to control a location of the guide pulley along the guide line.