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Two wind turbines self-destruct in one week

2009-11-03T15:42:50Z

Wind turbine blades rip loose near Esbjerg and southwestern Sweden, one landing on a hiking path A malfunction on a Vestas wind turbine in the town of Falkenberg on Sweden's southwest coast could have resulted in tragedy, as one of the structure's large blades flew off and landed on a track used by hikers.

Wind turbine collapse under investigation

2008-02-27T22:55:53Z

On February 22 a 600 kW Nordtank wind turbine at Halling in eastern Jutland experienced a so called runwaway event causing its blades to spin out of control. Minutes later the blades collided with the tower and caused the turbine to collapse. In an unrelated event at Vig in Odsherred a Vestas V47 600kW wind turbine lost a blade. In both cases, Vestas assume that human errors in service and maintenance caused the events, but points out that they are in process of finding the accurate causes.

Minister demands explanation for windmill collapse

2008-02-25T10:58:41Z

The climate minister will begin an investigation into two separate cases of Vestas wind turbines collapsing within the past week The climate minister, Connie Hedegaard, is calling for an investigation to determine the cause of two violent wind turbine collapses in Denmark in the past week. Both of the windmills were produced by Vestas, and Hedegaard's request to the Energy Board comes after other breakdowns both here and abroad have been reported in the past two months.

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 (add'l footage)

This footage was taken at the moment a wind turbine in Denmark exploded in high winds. The braking system failed. Pieces of the shattered turbine were sent more than 500 meters away.

A second video of the same event can be viewed by clicking here.

Duration: 32 seconds

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