June 23, 2017
Texas

And the wind turbine comes tumbling down

Barbara Phillips | Archer County News | Jun 22, 2017 | ww.archercountynews.com

Last Friday, a wind turbine failed at midpoint and fell to the ground just approximately 5 miles southeast of Windthorst on Oliver Wells Roadjust inside the Clay County line.This is the Shannon Wind Farm E-03 to E-04, managed by Alterra Power Corp.

The Archer County News was told by local managemet to contact Peter Lekich in the Vancouver office who offered us the available current informattion at this time. He said that no injuries or damage occured as a result of the fall, which was obviously most important. All of the turbines in that section were shut down and each one was inspected as a precaution. No problems were found with any of the other wind turbines, and they were turned on again Saturday.

A thorough investigation is in progress as to why the turbine fell, and Lekich said we could follow up with him after the investigation was complete.

The landowner close by said that she heard some kind of noise Friday late afternoon, but had no idea what it was if anything. She thought it may had been the dogs or something and went on about her business until her husband called later to let her know that a wind turbine on their land had fallen. She did not want to comment further.

There are unconfirmed reports that a nearby landowner witnessed the fall, but when a third person asked the supposed witness if they would answer questions for the newspaper, we were told they declined. The fact that several landowners do not want to discuss the occurrence of a turbine falling certainly raises a red flag and leaves much to speculation.

While wind turbines provide clean, renewable energy, they remain a source of controversy. Some communities complain about the sight and sound of turbines located near their homes. Social media does confirm that the controversy is alive in Widthorst.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/06/23/and-the-wind-turbine-comes-tumbling-down/