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Blade comes off wind turbine at Perkins High School
December 1, 2010 by Richard Payerchin in Morning Journal

This was the second time in two years the school district had a wind turbine fail due to a problem with blades. The turbine that failed this week was not the one that had earlier problems, officials said. "At this point we're going to take a step back, find out what happened and make decisions from there," Perkins school Superintendent Jim Gunner said.

Also filed under [ Ohio]

Perkins wind turbine drops blade
November 28, 2010 by Susan McMillan in Sandusky Register

For the second time in two years, Perkins Schools officials shut down the wind turbines on school property after a mechanical failure.

Also filed under [ Ohio]

Mystery wind turbine blaze closes road
November 5, 2010 by Aimee Hodson in The Leader

"I had several calls from concerned residents who saw the fire, which burned for over two hours," said local county councillor Paul Marfleet. "I went up to the site and the police and fire service were there, but there was little they could do to tackle a fire 75 metres above the ground and I did sympathise.

Also filed under [ UK]

Lightning strikes Elkhorn Ridge wind turbine
August 9, 2010 by Peter A. Sutters, Jr. in Lincoln Journal Star

The Bloomfield Fire Department responded to the emergency call, but the small fire burned itself out. In late 2008, an explosion and fire in a turbine injured three workers during construction of the Elkhorn Ridge wind farm in northeast Nebraska.

Also filed under [ Nebraska]

Wind turbine takes lightning hit
June 2, 2010 in Esperance Express

One of Verve Energy’s wind turbines at the Esperance Wind Farm was hit by lightning last Saturday week, shredding the blade and making the turbine inoperative. Technicians were at the site last Friday doing routine maintenance on other turbines and say that the damaged turbine has been made safe for the time being.

Also filed under [ Australia / New Zealand]

Noble Environmental Power faces questions over wind turbine collapse
May 17, 2010 by James Cartledge in BrighterEnergy.org

An investigation into a wind turbine that collapsed in New York State last year has found that wiring in the machine may have been "incorrectly" installed. The state's largest wind developer, Noble Environmental Power, could now find itself required to gain third-party certification for other turbines it has built in the state to answer questions hanging over its operating practice.

Also filed under [ New York]

Investigation into Fenner windmill collapse focuses on turbine foundations
May 13, 2010 by Alaina Potrikus in The Post-Standard

As experts hone in on what caused a 187-ton windmill to collapse in a Fenner cornfield last year, developers are moving forward with a plan to get the rest of the wind farm's 19 turbines safely spinning as early as mid-July. Turbine 18 fell to the ground in the early hours of Dec. 27, shocking neighbors who have lived among the windmills for nearly a decade and industry experts who called the failure unprecedented.

Also filed under [ New York]

Turbine's blade damage ‘unusual'
May 8, 2010 by Dana Herra in The Daily Chronicle

Officials at NextEra Energy Resources aren't sure what caused one of the three blades on a wind turbine south of the village of Shabbona to fail Friday morning. The 131-foot-long blade hung from the top of the turbine Friday, apparently bent at the base and split along its length.

Also filed under [ Illinois]

Sinking turbines blow ill wind across offshore energy sector
April 13, 2010 by Angela Jameson in Times Online

Hundreds of offshore wind turbines could be suffering from a design flaw that makes them sink into the sea. Energy company engineers are urgently investigating the extent to which their offshore wind farms are affected, after flaws were discovered on a Dutch wind farm last autumn. The problem could cost £50 million, said Renewables UK, the industry body that represents wind farm developers.

Also filed under [ Europe| UK]

Fresh blow for wind farms as possible flaw is scrutinised
April 12, 2010 by Sarah Arnott in The Independent

Hundreds of offshore wind farms are being checked for a construction fault after a flaw was discovered in one of the Europe-wide industry standards. The problem that has emerged is over the turbines' "monopile" foundations. The issue is centred on the grouting in the transition piece linking the turbine to its foundation, and the towers that are affected have shifted several centimetres under the impact of harsh offshore conditions.

Renewed seismic activity raises questions over major projects planned in East County
April 8, 2010 by Miriam Raftery in East County Magazine

How safe would giant wind turbines, power stations, high voltage lines, and a dump proposed for East County be during a powerful earthquake? Consumer advocates and area residents are raising those questions-and the answers in some cases are unsettling.

Also filed under [ California| Mexico]

Wind turbines certified despite construction error
April 7, 2010 in Copenhagen Post

A construction flaw in the foundations of many sea-based wind turbines was not discovered by inspectors who approved the structures' operation One of the most common foundations for sea-based wind turbines has a critical flaw but was nonetheless approved by a Nordic certification company, reports trade journal Ingeniøren. ...‘It's something no one could foresee and can give any engineer nightmares,' he said.

Also filed under [ Denmark]

Bartlett's wind turbine breaks blade
January 19, 2010 by Peter B. Brace in Nantucket Independent

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]

A damaging blow; Wind farm making inspections, repairs after storm
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]

187-ton windmill topples in Madison County; Incident mystifies officials; no one injured
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]

Local residents fear dangers of more turbines after one collapses
December 27, 2009 in WKTV TV 2

Local residents are wondering if one wind turbine could collapse in Madison County, then it is very possible for a turbine to fall anywhere. Fairfield resident Jim Salamone thinks why couldn't it happen in his back yard. Salamone ...says he was not surprised when he woke up to find out a wind turbine had collapsed in Fenner. He says the meteorological tower that used to be right across from his home already collapsed because of wind and ice.

Also filed under [ New York]

Wind turbines damaged in storm
December 17, 2009 in KUCB News

The wind storm that knocked over the crane had similar negative effects on the local residential wind-powered electric generators. The storm, which blew at least 125 miles per hour, completely dislodged the helix shaped turbine that was installed on Haystack hill. The blades and shaft blew away and were later located by divers. The tower stayed up.

Also filed under [ Alaska]

Wind blades fell in school yard; Raasay children sent home after 50ft turbine collapsed
November 21, 2009 in Press & Journal

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.

Also filed under [ UK]

Wind turbines suspended after flaw discovered
October 19, 2009 by Carly Newman in ZDNet UK

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.

Also filed under [ UK]

Wind farm substation is damaged by blaze
October 14, 2009 by Steve Virkler in Watertown Daily News

A transformer at the Maple Ridge Wind Farm's substation off Rector Road was destroyed by fire late Monday afternoon. Martinsburg firefighters were dispatched to the substation about 5 p.m. but had to wait until the facility was shut down before extinguishing the blaze, said Lewis County Fire Coordinator James M. Martin. ...The Columbus Day fire was the second transformer fire at the site, with a similar incident occurring July 4, 2007. In that case, 491 gallons of mineral oil leaked from the damaged transformer

Also filed under [ New York]

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Safety and Structural Failure