Wind Power News: Accidents
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Siemens shuts down wind turbines worldwide after Southern California accident
A few hours after one of its wind turbines threw a blade in the Imperial County desert town of Ocotillo, builder Siemens Energy announced it is shutting down all its turbines worldwide that use the same blade until their safety can be assessed. The faulty wind turbine at Pattern Energy’s Ocotillo Express Wind facility threw a ten-ton blade late Wednesday night or early Thursday. No one was injured, despite the blade’s coming to rest atop a Jeep trail on public . . .
Residents of Ocotillo and Boulevard speak out, share safety fears after turbine blade falls
“It’s scary, all the dangerous things that could happen. I don’t want anybody to get hurt,” said Michaela Woolley, 13. She spoke at a press conference at the Ocotillo Community Center today, after a wind turbine at the Ocotillo Wind Express Facility dropped a blade the length of a jumbo jet plane. Fortunately nobody was hurt by this accident, though Miachela’s younger brother, Albert added, “It’s scary, the blade of the wind turbine could have landed in a house.” The . . .
Ocotillo wind turbine throws off multi-ton blade, prompting world-wide shut down of similar turbines amid growing safety concerns
History of turbine/blade manufacturer Siemens is riddled with bribery, corruption, and other scandals: An East County Magazine special investigative report. One day after San Diego Supervisors ignored residents’ safety concerns and approved a wind ordinance that would open much of East County to industrial wind turbines, a wind turbine at the Ocotillo Express Wind Energy facility hurled off an 11-ton blade. The blade, manufactured by Siemens, landed on a trail used by off-road vehicles. The accident has shut down the . . .
Turbine blade plummets in Ocotillo
OCOTILLO — 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. No injuries were reported in the malfunction that comes less than a month after Pattern Energy, the developer of Ocotillo Wind Express project, announced it completed construction activities. But perhaps more importantly, just last month a similar Siemens turbine blade broke off in a wind . . .
173-foot blade falls off wind turbine in Ocotillo; Some residents want turbines gone
SAN DIEGO – Residents are expressing concern after a blade from a wind turbine in Ocotillo broke off and fell to the ground Wednesday night. “This is a road that my kids are on all the time. This is a road that my family has used for 25 years,” said part-time Ocotillo resident Bill Pate. The Ocotillo wind turbine farm is located 80 miles east of San Diego. The base of the turbine to the tip of the blade extends . . .
Blade falls from Ocotillo wind turbine project
A blade of one of the 112 turbines recently installed in Ocotillo fell to the ground overnight, although it is unclear if the malfunction occurred Wednesday or today. The project has been partly operating since January as construction activities were ongoing. Not one turbine was seen spinning as of 10 a.m. today, and crews were seen working in the area as of 10:22 a.m. The turbine malfunction comes less than a month after Pattern Energy, the developer of the controversial . . .
Ocotillo wind project shut down after blade throw
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. The accident took place one day after San Diego County loosened restrictions on siting large wind turbines near residential areas. “It looks as though the blade came off while the tip was pointed at the ground, and then tumbled,” Ocotillo resident Parke Ewing told . . .
Cable fault shuts down Vattenfall offshore project
SWEDEN: Vattenfall’s 110MW Lillgrund offshore wind farm in has been offline since Tuesday as a result of a cable fault. The company said it had launched an investigation into the causes of the failure. Cameras are being sent in remotely to investigate the cause, but the project is not expected to be back online this week. Lillgrund is located in Öresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is Sweden’s largest offshore wind farm and came online in December 2007. . . .
Report: Lightning strike damages wind turbine near Dexter
A wind turbine in Mower County is believed to have been struck by lightning last month, effectively turning one of the three 37-meter blades into a wet noodle hanging roughly 400 feet in the air. The damaged turbine is located near Dexter and visible from Interstate 90. According to paperwork filed April 30 with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, EDF Renewable Energy, formerly enXco, reported that one of 67 turbines in the 100.5 megawatt Wapsipinicon Wind Project failed during “extreme . . .
Crane overturns on wind farm
A 500 tonne crane overturned early on Wednesday morning while relocating on a wind farm in Fitjar, to the south of Bergen in western Norway, The crane a 500 tonne Liebherr owned by Nordic Crane, had completed a lift installing the blades on a turbine and was being moved during the night to another location, with luffing jib counterweight and Y-Guy super lift system in situ when it lost stability and overturned. We understand that no one was hurt in . . .
