July 3, 2013
Massachusetts

Hanover wind turbine still has problems

By Mark Burridge | Wicked Local Hanover | Posted Jul 03, 2013 | www.wickedlocal.com

Problems with the Hanover wind turbine have been coming up so frequently that Lumus construction, the company constructing the structure, wants the India-based manufacturing company, Siva, to send an inspector from India to help get the turbine up and running.

But that inspector needs to get here first.

Hanover DPW Director Victor Diniak said the manufacturer’s representatives have been held up with problems getting their visas.

“They’re trying to obtain visas,” he said. “But the commissioning agent was in last week.”

While the companies wait for the reps to be able to get not only to Hanover but also to the United States, they aren’t sitting around. Element Energy Works, of Oregon, the project commissioner working with Lumus, has been helping to examine the site.

As recently as last month, Diniak said he thought the turbine was close to completion and that final tests were being run. But problems persist. He said one problem hasn’t gone away, one that might lead to longer-term issues.

“There seems to be a defect in the tank for hydraulic fluid,” he said. “The issue has been ongoing for about the last two months.”

Diniak described how the wind turbine has two generators on the top of it: one for low speed winds and one for high speed winds. He said the problem the turbine faces right now crops up during the transition from the low speed generator to the high speed generator.

“We’ve been trying to isolate the issue, but part of the problem is it is 150 feet in the air,” Diniak said.

In an attempt to solve the problem, Diniak said several components of the tank have been replaced. At this point, Lumus and Element Energy Works are both starting to think the problem is bigger.

“They’re talking about a new tank,” Diniak said.

Diniak said the new tank still falls under the warranty, so the town would not be paying for it. However, a replacement would mean more time to complete a project which is already roughly two years behind schedule.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/07/03/hanover-wind-turbine-still-has-problems/