www.windaction.org | facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss Turbine collapse in United Kingdom http://www.windaction.org/articles/33795 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:09:20 GMT Collapse: A wind turbine lies on its side after crashing to the ground on Wednesday afternoon at Coldingham in Lothian and Borders during high wind conditions. http://www.windaction.org/articles/33795 Turbine explodes in fire http://www.windaction.org/articles/33794 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:03:58 GMT A £2million, 100meter-tall wind turbine caught fire in hurricane-force winds at Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, Scotland, during severe weather http://www.windaction.org/articles/33794 Older turbine collapses near road (1) http://www.windaction.org/articles/13572 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:08:17 GMT The blade assembly shattered on impact with the road. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13572 Older turbine collapses near road http://www.windaction.org/articles/13560 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:34:07 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/13560 Turbine collapse in Scotland http://www.windaction.org/articles/12698 Sat, 10 Nov 2007 23:44:38 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/12698 Oldside Wind Plant- Damaged Turbine from Lightning Strike http://www.windaction.org/articles/3824 Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT The Oldside and Siddick windfarms are next to each other on the A596 route down the coast . The road itself runs parallel to the railway line - with the wind plant arranged in another line between the two. The Siddick wind plant is very close to the Carlisle /Workington railway line and poses a real risk to rail traffic for that reason. These turbines are not so close to the railway or the road - but still close enough. Both wind farms have the same sort of turbines and are owned by the same company - Wind Prospect. http://www.windaction.org/articles/3824 Wind Turbine on Fire (2) http://www.windaction.org/articles/1344 Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:08:47 GMT A 200ft wind turbine in Wearside which burst into flames on Christmas Eve last year. The 75ft fibreglass blades burnt off and fell to the ground leading police to close two roads close to the tower. Residents from miles around reported thick black smoke emanating from the turbine at the Nissan factory - Inset picture courtesy of Sunderland Echo http://www.windaction.org/articles/1344 Wind Turbine on Fire (1) http://www.windaction.org/articles/1054 Sat, 24 Dec 2005 17:43:14 GMT

The 200ft structure at the Nissan factory, part of a £2.3million wind farm built in August, burst into flames just after 12.30pm yesterday.

The fire was so fierce all three 75-ft long fibreglass blades eventually dropped off and thick black smoke could be seen for miles around.

Almost 200 people dialled 999 to alert emergency crews as flames engulfed the turbine.

Police closed both the A1231 and the A19 for an hour-and-a-quarter amid worries that parts of the metal tower could fall on to the busy roads.

The six turbines were bought second-hand at a cost of £1.1million, having been previously used on a wind farm in Germany.

Graham Bagley, from Nissan, told the Echo in August it did not make financial sense to buy new ones and claimed the turbines were in "excellent condition".

A spokesman for Nissan denied the turbines are unsafe.

"It is the same design that has been used in wind farms all over the world and as far as we're aware nothing like this has happened before," he said.

"If there had been any concerns about the turbines we would never have purchased them. "We're taking this very seriously and until we know what has caused this all six turbines will be shut down."

He said engineers from Vestas, the company who manufactured the devices, had been working on the affected turbine since an oil leak was detected on Thursday.

"It was the third turbine and is the nearest one to our test track," the spokesman said.

"Engineers were repairing it yesterday morning and they had restarted it when the fire started. As far as we are aware it was oil that caught fire and the blades then burnt through. They are made of fibreglass and they burnt right down to the metal shaft before falling off. Nobody was hurt. We have now shut down all the other turbines and engineers are carrying out checks on all of them. We apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused by this."

Both the main roads were reopened at 2pm. A spokeswoman from Tyne and Wear Fire Service said: "We had seven fire engines in attendance and because of the risk of the structure falling onto the A19 police closed the road and the A1231.

"The majority of the structure eventually fell away from the road."

]]> A HUGE wind turbine went up in smoke in a massive blaze seen for miles across Wearside.The 200ft structure at the Nissan factory, part of a £2.3million wind farm built in August, burst into flames just after 12.30pm yesterday. The fire was so fierce all three 75-ft long fibreglass blades eventually dropped off and thick black smoke could be seen for miles around. Almost 200 people dialled 999 to alert emergency crews as flames engulfed the turbine. Police closed both the A1231 and the A19 for an hour-and-a-quarter amid worries that parts of the metal tower could fall on to the busy roads. The six turbines were bought second-hand at a cost of £1.1million, having been previously used on a wind farm in Germany. Graham Bagley, from Nissan, told the Echo in August it did not make financial sense to buy new ones and claimed the turbines were in "excellent condition". A spokesman for Nissan denied the turbines are unsafe. "It is the same design that has been used in wind farms all over the world and as far as we're aware nothing like this has happened before," he said. "If there had been any concerns about the turbines we would never have purchased them. "We're taking this very seriously and until we know what has caused this all six turbines will be shut down." He said engineers from Vestas, the company who manufactured the devices, had been working on the affected turbine since an oil leak was detected on Thursday. "It was the third turbine and is the nearest one to our test track," the spokesman said. "Engineers were repairing it yesterday morning and they had restarted it when the fire started. As far as we are aware it was oil that caught fire and the blades then burnt through. They are made of fibreglass and they burnt right down to the metal shaft before falling off. Nobody was hurt. We have now shut down all the other turbines and engineers are carrying out checks on all of them. We apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused by this." Both the main roads were reopened at 2pm. A spokeswoman from Tyne and Wear Fire Service said: "We had seven fire engines in attendance and because of the risk of the structure falling onto the A19 police closed the road and the A1231. "The majority of the structure eventually fell away from the road." http://www.windaction.org/articles/1054 Damaged Turbine Crystal Rig wind farm near Dunbar (1) http://www.windaction.org/articles/327 Fri, 01 Apr 2005 05:00:00 GMT 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.”

]]> 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 Warning Sign, Ovenden Moor http://www.windaction.org/articles/1524 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/1524 Warning Sign: Crystal Rig Wind Farm http://www.windaction.org/articles/1526 GMT http://www.windaction.org/articles/1526 Windturbine blades 17 metres long ripped off in high winds http://www.windaction.org/articles/38312 Wed, 08 May 2013 02:25:36 GMT Walkers had a narrow escape as blades on a wind turbine ripped off in high winds across common moor land. Walkers and local residents were stunned at what could have been a nasty accident and fear for further blade breakages. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38312 Wind turbines 'could allow enemy jets to sneak into British airspace' http://www.windaction.org/articles/38191 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:13:20 GMT The Ministry of Defence is fighting plans for two giant wind turbines over fears the towers could mask enemy jets entering British airspace. ..."The creation of 'false' aircraft display on the radar leads to increased workload for both controllers and aircrews and may have a significant operational impact. http://www.windaction.org/articles/38191 Wind farm 'could stop RAF spotting enemy planes' heading for Britain http://www.windaction.org/articles/38135 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:47:52 GMT Defence chiefs say a planned wind farm could stop the RAF from spotting enemy planes bound for Britain. The MoD says a wind farm planned for Hill of Braco, Aberdeenshire, would hurt a nearby radar station's ability to "detect threats to UK airspace". http://www.windaction.org/articles/38135 Wind turbine collapses after bring battered by 70mph gales at farm http://www.windaction.org/articles/38091 Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:03:52 GMT A 90ft turbine in Aberdeenshire has fallen after being battered by 70mph gales. "It's worrying because there are so many turbines in this area. If someone had been walking by when this came down it could have been very serious." http://www.windaction.org/articles/38091 Lancashire farmers in wind turbine row with MoD http://www.windaction.org/articles/37683 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:03:48 GMT Five neighbours of the Hyndburn Wind Farm want to build 25m (80ft) wind turbines - nearly 100m (330ft) shorter than the 12 on Oswaldtwistle Moor. ...The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said more turbines would interfere with radar at its Warton base. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37683 Ministry of Defence objected to wind farm plan over drone test safety fears http://www.windaction.org/articles/37606 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:27:56 GMT Serious public safety concerns have been raised after the Ministry of Defence confirmed it had objected to a huge wind farm proposal because of fears it could interfere with radar. ..."It is ‘imperative' that radar returns received by Aberporth are in no way affected by anything which might materially affect the controllers' ability to warn commanders of air vehicles to enable them to discharge their responsibilities under Rule 8 (Avoiding Aerial Collisions) contained within the Air Navigation Order. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37606 Barrel Law wind farm proposal rejected amid radar fears http://www.windaction.org/articles/37605 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:24:24 GMT Members cited the Ministry of Defence objections due to possible interference with radar at RAF Spadeadam and seismic monitoring at Eskdalemuir. They also had concerns over the visual impact the development would have. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37605 Turbine ‘risk to safety of gliders' http://www.windaction.org/articles/37598 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:37:53 GMT A turbine standing higher than York Minster would pose a "significant safety risk" to gliders returning to a rural airfield, planners claim. Pocklington Town Council, Hayton and Burnby parish council and the Wolds Glider Club are among objectors to plans. http://www.windaction.org/articles/37598 Company says wind turbine collapsed in North Devon because of "way it was fixed" http://www.windaction.org/articles/37506 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:31:36 GMT "While there was no malfunction or abnormality with the turbine or tower, there was a problem with the structural grout and the manner in which the tower was fixed to the foundation that affected the durability of the anchor rods resulting in the tower collapse." http://www.windaction.org/articles/37506