January 31, 2014
Massachusetts

South Turbine stopped for servicing

By Peggy Aulisio, Editor | January 30, 2014 | www.southcoasttoday.com

FAIRHAVEN – Fairhaven Wind LLC shut down the South Turbine most of last week after encountering some problems. It was back on by Friday, Jan. 31, and has been running since then, according to Gordon Deane of holding company Palmer Capital.

On Monday, Jan. 20, Mr. Deane said the South Turbine was placed into service mode while the company dealt with two problems.

“We are continuing to have problems with the South Turbine during gusty wind conditions,” he said in an e-mail sent to selectmen and to The Advocate upon request. “The turbine does not experience problems when the winds are steady.”

He added, “This issue is most likely due to a software issue. Our operators are adjusting the settings to allow the turbine to operate smoothly.”

Mr. Deane said they’d also encountered a problem with an oil pump inside the turbine. He said the pump was being replaced last Monday.

Last Tuesday, Jan. 28, however, he told selectmen, “When replacing the pump, our maintenance crew encountered a faulty contactor that is related to the pump issue. The crew was on site today to replace the contactor, but was not able to finish in time. For the sake of the safety of the crew, they have left the site to return to their homes before the onset of the upcoming storm.”

Mr. Deane said they would resume their work on the contactor after the storm.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/01/31/south-turbine-stopped-for-servicing/