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The Dangers of Wind Power

2007-08-24T10:51:07Z

After the industry's recent boom years, wind power providers and experts are now concerned. The facilities may not be as reliable and durable as producers claim. Indeed, with thousands of mishaps, breakdowns and accidents having been reported in recent years, the difficulties seem to be mounting. Gearboxes hiding inside the casings perched on top of the towering masts have short shelf lives, often crapping out before even five years is up. In some cases, fractures form along the rotors, or even in the foundation, after only limited operation. Short circuits or overheated propellers have been known to cause fires. All this despite manufacturers' promises that the turbines would last at least 20 years.

Risø DTU final report regarding Vestas windmill damage (Feb 22-23, 2008)

2008-12-01T00:00:00Z

Following the catastrophic failure of two Vestas wind turbines on Feb 22 and 23, 2008, the Danish energy agency requested an investigation into the events. A report was produced by engineers at RisÃ¸ DTU. Below is the report translated into English. The original report, in Danish, can be accessed by clicking on the link below. A video of one of the failures can be seen here: http://www.windaction.org/videos/14294 . It is important to note that the debris from the first turbine failure which occurred on February 22 spread as far as 700 meters away. RisÃ¸ DTU is formerly a government research institution under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Windmill in Denmark explodes

A windmill in Denmark collapsed during a storm in Denmark on Feb 22, 2008. The braking system failed while two technicians worked in the turret at the top. The technicians were able to get out before the collapse. Pieces of the shattered turbine were sent more than 500 meters away. Additional footage can be viewed by clicking here.

Duration: 40 seconds