News
Category:
Structural Failure
A Siemens spokeswoman explained that "when a turbine is curtailed, it means the load on the blade is significantly reduced compared to normal operation." The company said there were about 700 such turbines deployed around the world, with most - around 600 - in the United States, and all those turbines were being examined.
Also filed under [
Safety|
California]
A massive blade from one of the 112 wind turbines recently installed was found near a tower base Thursday, after plummeting onto the ground overnight, triggering safety concerns among officials and some residents. ...the project is now shut down.
Also filed under [
Safety|
California]
Company Shuts Down Wind Turbines Worldwide After SoCal Accident
May 17, 2013 by Chris Clarke in ReWire
May 17, 2013 by Chris Clarke in ReWire
Siemens does not yet know the root cause of this incident and is working to determine if and how this is related to a recent similar incident in Iowa. Today, Siemens is taking the step of curtailing all turbines with the B53 blade type globally. These turbines will remain curtailed until it can be determined they are not at risk of a similar malfunction.
The Iowa incident took place in April at MidAmerican Holdings' 200-megawatt Eclipse wind farm.
Also filed under [
Safety|
California]
Siemens blade crashes at Ocotillo Wind Farm
May 17, 2013 by Mark DelFranco in North American Windpower
May 17, 2013 by Mark DelFranco in North American Windpower
NAW has learned that a blade belonging to a Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbine came crashing to the ground at the 265 MW Ocotillo Wind Farm in the early morning hours of May 16. No one was injured.
A spokesperson from Pattern Energy, which owns and operates Ocotillo, corroborated the incident.
Also filed under [
USA|
California]
The 315-megawatt Ocotillo Express Wind project in Imperial County is shut down today after a 10-ton blade came loose from one of the project's 112 wind turbines, landing about 100 yards away on a public road.
Also filed under [
Safety|
California]
Wind turbine blade throw incident at Pattern Energy's Ocotillo Wind Project
May 16, 2013 in Protect Our Communities Foundation & Backcountry Against Dumps
May 16, 2013 in Protect Our Communities Foundation & Backcountry Against Dumps
This wholly avoidable public health and safety hazard occurred just one day after San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the revised Wind Energy Ordinance & Boulevard Community Plan to remove community protections to allow 500 foot tall industrial wind turbines on private land in previously protected areas near homes, recreation areas, and sensitive wildlife.
The 1.5-megawatt turbine was commissioned in March 2009 but was shut down June 18, 2012, after the gearbox showed significant wear. The faulty gearbox was no longer covered by warranty, and the manufacturer of the turbine, AAER Wind Energy of Quebec, is no longer in business. Three of five turbines of the same make and model erected in California and Templeton, Mass., also suffered gearbox failure.
Also filed under [
Safety|
Rhode Island]
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.
DTE replacing broken blade; Still no reason for turbine accident
May 3, 2013 by Nich Wolak in Huron Daily Tribune
May 3, 2013 by Nich Wolak in Huron Daily Tribune
Scott L. Simons, DTE Energy spokesman, previously told the Tribune that the utility received an alarm at 1 a.m., and later found that one of the blades at the Sigel site appeared to be damaged. Part of a blade had fallen and was on the ground. ...Last year, two GE-manufactured turbines experienced broken blades in East Central Illinois.
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.
Wind topples turbine in Ellensburg; minor flooding of Mercer Creek
May 1, 2013 by Brian Myrick in Daily Record
May 1, 2013 by Brian Myrick in Daily Record
A wind turbine at the city of Ellensburg's Renewable Energy Park toppled over on Monday, buckling under wind speeds of more than 30 mph and gusts as high as 45 mph.
Gary Nystedt, city resource manager, said city staff will start going through the turbine's wind speed data to figure out exactly when it came down.
Also filed under [
Safety|
Washington]
$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.
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."
A blade on a wind turbine broke loose and landed in a field in Adair, Iowa. KCCI reports officials said they are still trying to figure out what went wrong. The turbine manufacturer is leading an investigation into the accident.
Dan Morgan “saw an orange fireball a couple of miles from the front yard, so I thought I better investigate this,” before driving over to get a closer look.
The Goderich Fire Department was called to the scene, but with the blaze 100 metres in the air, there was little that could be done.
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.
Safety concerns after wind turbine snaps and falls during storm
March 25, 2013 by Greg Harkin in Independent.IE
March 25, 2013 by Greg Harkin in Independent.IE
The 64m-high turbine 'snapped' and fell over at a wind farm in the remote townland of Maas, between the Co Donegal villages of Glenties and Ardara.
It came during a weekend of freak late-March weather, which saw thousands of homes in the North plunged into darkness as high winds and snow hit east Ulster and north Leinster.
Still no word on what caused turbine blade to break
March 16, 2013 by Kate Hessling in Huron Daily Tribune
March 16, 2013 by Kate Hessling in Huron Daily Tribune
Officials said Friday that there isn't any new information indicating why a wind turbine blade broke off early Monday morning during a low-wind period at DTE Energy's Thumb Wind Park. ...Last year, two GE-manufactured turbines experienced broken blades in East Central Illinois.
A 38-tonne wind turbine crashed 50 metres (165 feet) to the ground in western Japan after the steel column supporting it snapped, officials have said. ..."We are asking experts to look into the cause of the problem. We suspect metal fatigue.
DTE investigates broken turbine blade; Turbine blade breaks early Monday morning.
March 12, 2013 by Kate Hessling in Huron Daily Tribune
March 12, 2013 by Kate Hessling in Huron Daily Tribune
DTE Energy has no idea why a portion of a wind turbine blade broke off early Monday morning during a low-wind period at one of the utility's sites in the Thumb Wind Park.
"This matter certainly is under investigation," said Scott L. Simons, DTE Energy spokesman.
| << Injury |