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A technical examination is being carried out to try to establish how a large wind turbine near Maas, close to the Ardara area of Co Donegal, came crashing down on Thursday. While winds were heavy at the time it was nonetheless understood that these turbines were engineered to withstand such conditions.
Also filed under [
Ireland]
Lightning damages wind turbine; Another storm has caused problems for the wind turbine
May 2, 2013 in El Dorado Times
May 2, 2013 in El Dorado Times
An inspection of the damage was performed on Wednesday confirming a lightning strike. Results of the inspection show the damage does not appear to be extensive.
Also filed under [
Kansas]
Local resident Sheila Lawes said people in the area are concerned about the dangers if a turbine gets damaged. Another turbine was about to be erected at nearby Piper's Pool and a fresh investigation has now been launched after a second tower was said to have been toppled during high winds in North Cornwall.
Also filed under [
UK]
Noble Environmental Power officials say they have detected a "wiring anomaly" in two Altona wind turbines, including the one that snapped in half last Friday.
As the preliminary investigation continues into how a massive turbine suddenly collapsed, Noble officials said this week that the entire wind park experienced a loss of power Friday and that two of its 65 turbines apparently malfunctioned.
Also filed under [
New York]
$4-million turbine fire at Kibby Mountain puts wind energy under new scrutiny by state, opponents
April 23, 2013 by Whit Richardson in Bangor Daily News
April 23, 2013 by Whit Richardson in Bangor Daily News
Turbine fires have been known to start forest fires, according to the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations in Europe, which in September 2012 released a document of best practices and guidelines of how to handle fires at wind farms.
The European document warns that these type of forest fires can be difficult to extinguish.
Also filed under [
Maine]
The mystery behind a fallen turbine blade at the Ocotillo Wind power plant east of San Diego has led the manufacturer to curtail operations at select wind farms around the world. ...The fallen blade ignited new safety concerns among critics of the plant, who posted photos and videos to the internet of the crumpled white tube.
Also filed under [
California]
187-ton windmill topples in Madison County; Incident mystifies officials; no one injured
December 27, 2009 by Jennifer Bogdan in Observer Dispatch
December 27, 2009 by Jennifer Bogdan in Observer Dispatch
Buyea Road resident David Kalenak said the crumpled remains of the wind turbine attracted hundreds of onlookers throughout the day on the rural road, which usually sees just one or two cars each hour.
"I think a couple of my neighbors are a little nervous," said Kalenak, who didn't hear the crash. "This one was in a field, but others are in the line of homes."
Also filed under [
New York]
3 turbines crash after blades from one break
February 10, 2009 by Richard Payerchin in Morning Journal
February 10, 2009 by Richard Payerchin in Morning Journal
Three wind turbines at Perkins High School crashed Saturday when the blades broke off one of them.
No one was hurt when parts of the fiberglass blades came off the turbine as it spun, winging the blades up to 40 yards away from the silver monopole tower, near the high school at 3714 Campbell St.
The remaining two turbines will not be used until they are inspected and officials figure out what caused the blades to break.
Also filed under [
Ohio]
A runaway windmill in Tehachapi closed Highway 58 -- a major east-west freeway connecting California's southern Central Valley to Las Vegas, Nevada and Arizona -- for most of the day Sunday.
As of 6:45 p.m., the highway remained closed between Tehachapi and Mojave. Officials had no estimate as to when it might reopen
Also filed under [
California]
Frontier Pro Services of Banning, California conducted an informal survey of approximately 75 wind farm operators in the United States. Designed to assess the specific operation and maintenance service needs of wind energy operators, the survey reveals potentially serious threats to wind farms owing largely to the industry-wide shortage of qualified turbine technicians.
Also filed under [
USA]
A damaging blow; Wind farm making inspections, repairs after storm
January 13, 2010 by Onell R. Soto in Union-Tribune
January 13, 2010 by Onell R. Soto in Union-Tribune
Workers are inspecting and repairing 75 wind turbine blades at a wind farm some 60 miles east of San Diego after a storm a month ago caused catastrophic damage to some of them. ..."The turbines were actually stopped," he said. "There were extremely high winds on the site - that contributed to the blade cracking."
Also filed under [
California]
Rob Pforzheimer, a Sutton resident and longtime First Wind critic, said, "This is the second haz mat spill [TNT truck in December] on this project and it hasn't even started producing anything yet. There will undoubtedly be more spills in the future.
Also filed under [
Vermont]
Air Repair: Cracked blade replaced at Corn Plus
October 27, 2008 by Tony Acosta in Faribault County Register
October 27, 2008 by Tony Acosta in Faribault County Register
When it came time to start repairing a wind turbine at the ethanol plant on Oct. 15, the project had to be put on hold. ..."The blade has been cracked all summer. It's been frustrating," says Dan Moore, director of project development for Renewable Energy Solutions.
When the broken blade was discovered, the turbine furthest from the ethanol plant had to be shut down.
All three blades needed to be replaced, says Moore, because we couldn't find one to match the other two.
Also filed under [
Minnesota]
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.
Also filed under [
UK]
An unexpected problem has occurred with construction of second wind turbine
February 20, 2009 by Waverly Light and Power
February 20, 2009 by Waverly Light and Power
The construction company, ICS of North Dakota, lifted the wind turbine rotor assembly, to which the blades attach, 246 feet high into place late yesterday afternoon. After it was lifted it was discovered the blades were not ‘feathered' or turned properly so they could not catch the wind. In the position the blades are in, the wind caught the blades causing them to spin.
When this was discovered, the Bremer county sheriff's department was notified and all personnel were evacuated, including two homeowners who were outside of the recommended danger zone.
Also filed under [
Iowa]
Young said firefighters faced hazardous conditions as the turbine began scattering debris on the ground.
"I would gather that the turbine was spraying out debris up to three football fields," Young said. "Especially in an area like that, it was challenging because of the rough terrain. By nature, those are not good conditions for a fire."
Also filed under [
Texas]
Early Monday morning, a 20-foot-plus piece of one of the blades on Bartlett's Ocean View Farm's wind turbine snapped off and fell to the ground nearby.
The wind turbine immediately shut down. There were no reported injuries when the blade struck the surrounding farmland, said John Bartlett.
Also filed under [
Massachusetts]
Bear Mountain wind turbine blades getting replaced
August 10, 2012 by Erica Fisher in Energetic City
August 10, 2012 by Erica Fisher in Energetic City
Just three years after they were installed, the wind turbines at Bear Mountain are getting an upgrade. Starting this summer, AltaGas will be replacing the blades on the 34 wind turbines at the Bear Mountain Wind Park.
Also filed under [
Canada]
Bent double: Investigation begins to find out why turbine failed at Beinn an Tuirc
November 16, 2007 in Campbeltown Courier
November 16, 2007 in Campbeltown Courier
A 63-metre tall wind turbine bent in two at Beinn an Tuirc Windfarm last Thursday.
In what has been described as ‘a catastrophic failure’ of the turbine, the tower section has folded in the middle smashing the blades and nacelle into the hillside. It is thought by those in the industry that this is the first time a turbine tower has ever collapsed in the UK and Vestas Celtic, which manufactures towers at its nearby Kintyre factory and Scottish Power owners of the farm have launched an inquiry to find out what went wrong with the Vestas V47 turbine.
Also filed under [
UK]
"Most windfarms are near roads, railways, or walking paths, and the dangers are obvious."
Also filed under [
UK]