Three Ocotillo residents went before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

Safety Structural Failure California

Siemens conducted a “preliminary root cause analysis,” which showed that the machine had “cracks in the structural member of the interior of the blade” (specifically, the shear web). In turn, over time, the blade failed and then struck the tower, which then collapsed.

Safety Structural Failure California

Both this project and Siemens have a history of serious problems, however, leading to questions of whether federal or state oversight is needed to protect public safety. Ocotillo Wind, built by Pattern Energy, previously had a wind turbine fire in January 2015 and an 11-ton blade hurled off onto a public trail in May 2013, among other mechanical failures,  as we reported at the time. 

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The Oak Creek area east of Tehachapi saw a quick response from KCFD on June 25 after a wind turbine started a grass fire.

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The fire was on "the motor of a high windmill," and burning debris was falling to the ground, according to CalFire. As of 7:20 p.m., the windmill was almost completely burned on top.

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An out of control wind turbine has caused a road closure in Mojave.

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It may cost Rim of the World Unified School District somewhere between $22,000 and $53,000 to satisfy state concerns about the structural integrity of the four steel poles supporting Rim of the World High School's wind turbines.

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Response by Donna Tisdale to Supervisor Dave Roberts’ opinion published in East County Magazine

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The cause of the fire is still being investigated, said Imperial County Fire Chief Tony Rouhotas, and it may be some time before the cause is determined.

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Allen was never made aware of the existence of the tower by Bouldin Farming Company, and it was clear he never saw it before he struck it. Allen's death isn't the first time an agricultural aviator has had a fatal collision with an unmarked and unlit MET during daytime operations. An analysis of FAA and NTSB accident data by the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) shows that 10 fatal agricultural aircraft accidents in the past 14 years (2000–2013) involved collisions with towers—including three with unmarked MET towers.

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A brochure has been sent to residents of Lucerne Valley and parts of rural Apple Valley looking to gain support against two planned wind farms.

Impact on People Safety California

The turbines at Iberdrola’s Locust Ridge project were made by Gamesa,  Gamesa has had numerous wind turbine fires, including the turbine fire at the Kumeyaay Wind facility in Campo, as ECM reported.  Our story also recounted Gamesa’s troubled history of wind turbine fires elsewhere.

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The Kumeyaay Wind farm that supplies electricity to San Diego has been idled indefinitely after a fire heavily damaged one its 25 turbines, officials at the Campo Indian Reservation said Tuesday.

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Yesterday’s (Dec 16) explosion and brush fire sparked by a Gamesa wind turbine owned by Infigen at the Kumeyaay Wind facility in Campo, California has ignited new questions about the safety of wind turbines in this fire-prone region, where several of the worst wildfires in California history have previously scorched hundreds of thousands of acres.

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A wind turbine on a ridge overlooking the Golden Acorn Casino exploded today, sparking several spot fires “If the wind had been coming from the northwest or west then my home, one of the closest homes to the turbines, would have definitely been in danger because we have brush on this side of the turbines and we would have had a major fire.”

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To hit the renewable mandate, utilities are building long transmission lines to deliver power from distant solar and wind projects to population centers. Most large-scale solar plants in California are being built in dry, sunny desert and valley regions. Wind farms are concentrated in the mountains. Both are fire-prone. ... Southern California is "vulnerable to brownouts during heat waves" or "if a wildfire took out a key transmission line."

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With multiple industrial-scale wind and solar projects proposed to scrape bare agricultural lands in San Diego's East County, the potential to create dust storms is an issue that Supervisors and planners have failed to address to date, blowing off concerns raised by residents. For Pattern Energy, the dust storm is the latest in a string of serious problems at its Ocotillo Express Wind Facility in Imperial Valley since its opening in December 2012.

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The company's root cause analysis found that the separation happened where the fiberglass laminate of the blade meets a pre-cast blade "root," adjacent to the turbines' revolving hub, a spokeswoman for Siemens said. Seven blades are being replaced at the Ocotillo plant as a result of the inquiry

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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.

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No injuries were reported, according to the El Centro newspaper. But worldwide use of that model of turbine has been suspended while the mishap is investigated by its manufacturer, Siemens. ...In April, a blade broke from a similar Siemens turbine at an Iowa wind energy facility, the Imperial Valley Press reported.

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