Wind farm fears as blade snaps

By Katrina Tweedie

A TURBINE at a Scottish wind farm has broken down after one of its blades snapped off.

The 10-tonne turbine, one of 31 at the £80 million Crystal Rig wind farm near Dunbar, East Lothian, was destroyed last week when a mechanism to stop it spinning too fast failed. Onlookers reported strong winds and said one of the turbine blades flew off and hurtled into the countryside.

The 60ft high steel turbines are designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and owners, Fred Olsen Renewables, denied the breakdown was wind related. A spokesman said they were investigating the cause and that there had been little risk to people at the remote wind farm.

The turbines from German firm Nordex were installed in August 2004. It will cost an estimated £1.25 million to repair.

Anti-wind farm campaigners said the incident confirmed their fears about the danger of blades flying off wind turbines.

David Bruce, of the pressure group Scottish Wind Assessment Project, said: “There were high winds so the turbines were ‘feathered’, or locked so they couldn’t spin round. It was lucky nobody was walking below. This is only about the second incidence of this in the UK but it shows this is possible.”

]]> Britain The Times April 16, 2005 Wind farm fears as blade snaps By Katrina Tweedie A TURBINE at a Scottish wind farm has broken down after one of its blades snapped off. The 10-tonne turbine, one of 31 at the £80 million Crystal Rig wind farm near Dunbar, East Lothian, was destroyed last week when a mechanism to stop it spinning too fast failed. Onlookers reported strong winds and said one of the turbine blades flew off and hurtled into the countryside. The 60ft high steel turbines are designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and owners, Fred Olsen Renewables, denied the breakdown was wind related. A spokesman said they were investigating the cause and that there had been little risk to people at the remote wind farm. The turbines from German firm Nordex were installed in August 2004. It will cost an estimated £1.25 million to repair. Anti-wind farm campaigners said the incident confirmed their fears about the danger of blades flying off wind turbines. David Bruce, of the pressure group Scottish Wind Assessment Project, said: “There were high winds so the turbines were ‘feathered’, or locked so they couldn’t spin round. It was lucky nobody was walking below. This is only about the second incidence of this in the UK but it shows this is possible.” http://www.windaction.org/articles/327 http://www.windaction.org/articles/24196 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:08:17 GMT Children at an island primary were sent home after a newly-installed wind turbine next to their school collapsed, it emerged yesterday. Parents of youngsters at the 18-pupil Raasay Primary School were asked to collect their children following the incident on November 13. The 50ft turbine will "remain out of commission" until an investigation has been carried out. http://www.windaction.org/articles/24196 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23700 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:10:47 GMT An entire fleet of around 100 'urban' wind turbines has been remotely shut down by manufacturer Quiet Revolution after the discovery of a design fault. The fleet of QR5 turbines was disabled after continual wind speeds of between 14 and 24 metres per second caused a turbine located on a sea wall in Blackpool to develop a mechanical error, the company said in a statement on Friday. The QR5s have been installed on 55 sites for clients including Network Rail, Sainsbury's and self-storage firm Big Yellow. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23700 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23532 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:40:58 GMT Manufacturers of the 190ft high turbine, one of three owned by Sheffield University, are now investigating the damage at the site close to the city's Parkway link road to the M1. A blade on the same turbine was broken 15 months ago and residents who live close to the site at Catcliffe, near Rotherham, have expressed fears that they could pose a danger to local people. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23532 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23363 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:20:32 GMT The first major UK hydro project to be completed in 50 years, Glendoe was closed less than two months after the Queen officially opened the 100-megawatt station at the end of June. Yesterday, Perth-based SSE said investigations showed that the rock fall, in a tunnel carrying water between the reservoir and the power station, was "very substantial". ...SSE also confirmed the Greater Gabbard wind farm in the Thames Estuary had been hit after faulty welding was discovered on the turbines. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23363 http://www.windaction.org/articles/23320 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:55:49 GMT Faulty wind turbines could remain at a Northumberland beauty spot for another year if a new planning application is approved. The three giant structures at Kirkheaton, north of Hexham, were put up almost 10 years ago by EDF Energy. But technical issues meant that two of the turbines had to have their blades removed, and only one of the three has been operating since last autumn. http://www.windaction.org/articles/23320 http://www.windaction.org/articles/22692 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:32:24 GMT A power fault has shut down nearly a quarter of the turbines at Little Cheyne Court on Romney Marsh - the biggest onshore wind farm in the south of England - just a month after it was officially opened. Seven out of the 26 wind turbines on the isolated land on the Kent-East Sussex border have been hit by technical problems. http://www.windaction.org/articles/22692 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19897 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:43:47 GMT A 65 ft blade that flew off the turbine came loose after bolts attaching it to the hub failed, not because of a collision, examination of the components has revealed. ..."The bolt failure was the effect not the cause of the problem. They have ruled out bolt fatigue and design problems, and we know that they were properly put on," said Dale Vince the co-founder of Ecotricity, which owns the farm. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19897 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19525 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:03:32 GMT Work to get the wrecked 'UFO' wind turbine up and running at Conisholme wind farm is underway. Despite the explanation as to why one of the baldes 'fell' and another was left bent still being unknown, workers are at the site and in the next few days, all three 65ft blades and the central hub will be replaced. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19525 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19419 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:45:19 GMT Ecotricity, which owns the site, are continuing investigations and have said they are not ruling anything out - though the extent of damage was "unique". To make one of these blades fall off, or to bend it, takes a lot Dale Vince, Ecotricity. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19419 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19412 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:32:03 GMT A call has been made for the Conisholme wind farm to be closed - before someone is injured. Coun Robert Palmer, Chairman of East Lindsey District Council, says the site should be closed off to the public while an independent health and safety investigation is carried out. On Sunday morning local people woke to find a blade on one of the 89 metre high wind turbines in Fen Lane had broken off. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19412 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19391 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:03:57 GMT Has the tenacle UFO got something to do with the broken blades at Conisholme? Engineers from Ecotricity are working to establish how a 20m blade mysteriously fell off a turbine at Conisholme wind farm - but residents have their own conclusions. It is believed the a blade fell off the 89m turbine and another was left badly bent on Sunday January 4. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19391 http://www.windaction.org/articles/19375 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:08:03 GMT Over the weekend, reports of a blade missing from one of the mammoth turbines and another blade being badly bent out of shape came to light. The cause of the damage has yet to be established, however some say it could be down to icy weather. http://www.windaction.org/articles/19375 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17740 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:16:26 GMT Britain's first offshore wind farm - located half a mile off the Northumberland coastline - should soon be producing energy again after standing idle for more than two years. Green power company E.ON is on the verge of completing the installation of a new armoured cable which will allow the blades on the two turbines off Blyth to start turning again for the first time since early 2006. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17740 http://www.windaction.org/articles/17061 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:33:26 GMT Repairs have started to a giant wind turbine between Sheffield and Rotherham after it was knocked out by a gale. A crack was spotted in the blades of one of two turbines yards from the Sheffield Parkway during high winds last month. A special failsafe device cut in to prevent further damage - and the crippled blades were allowed to fall to the ground. Since then, investigations have been going on into the damage at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, where the University of Sheffield operate the two turbines. http://www.windaction.org/articles/17061 http://www.windaction.org/articles/14902 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:42:34 GMT E.ON has been given 21 days to repair a broken wind turbine at Lowca in Cumbria or face enforcement action. Copeland Council says the firm has breached planning approval by leaving the turbine unrepaired. The wind turbine has not worked for 14 months and site operator E.On had agreed to repair it by the end of February. ..."It's no good putting conditions down and not doing anything when they are not fulfilled. They have gone way over the time limit by eight months. It's time we took some action." http://www.windaction.org/articles/14902 http://www.windaction.org/articles/13559 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:28:35 GMT Campaigners are welcoming an inquiry into the safety of wind turbines after two came crashing down. The manufacturer behind some of the largest wind turbines planned for use in the North-East is conducting an internal review to find why two of its structures buckled in high winds and collapsed. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched an investigation but is awaiting the results of the company's own review before it decides what action to take. The first turbine collapsed in Scotland last November, followed by a second collapse near Dalston, Cumbria, last week. ...Wind farm campaigner John Ferguson, from Northumberland group Save Our Unspoilt Landscape, welcomed the inquiry. He said: "If there is a risk, then it is important we find out now rather than when the turbines are in operation. "The British Wind Energy Association and others seem to brush over the risk here, but these are serious safety concerns. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13559 http://www.windaction.org/articles/13431 Fri, 04 Jan 2008 19:14:32 GMT An inquiry has been launched after Cumbria's oldest wind turbine collapsed. The 100ft structure near Hesket Newmarket crashed down in what may be a first in the 29-year history of harnessing wind energy. The 11-tonne turbine had been producing power for the J Stobart & Sons animal feed mill at Newlands for the last 19 years. It collapsed, narrowly missing a country road, while the plant was operating. No-one was hurt. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13431