Wind Power News: Accidents
See also: Wind Turbine Accident data (worldwide) at Scotland Against Spin
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Schwarze Rauchschwaden über der A 20: Windrad brennt bei Satow
[A wind turbine in the Hohen Luckow wind farm caught fire on Wednesday afternoon. Two technicians discovered a defect and switched off the wind turbine, but with the extremely large amount of hydraulic and gear oil inside the system, they could not prevent a fire. Burning parts fell from 100 meters.] Am Mittwochmittag, 15. März, hat ein Windrad an der Autobahn 20 bei Satow gebrannt. Das Feuer war am Gondelraum des Windrades bei Wokrent ausgebrochen, das etwa 500 Meter südlich . . . Complete story »
Windrad in Jacobsdorf gesprengt: Abriss wegen Mängeln
[In Jacobsdorf in the Oder-Spree district, the first of four wind turbines was blown up on Wednesday because the concrete towers were defective.] In Jacobsdorf im Kreis Oder-Spree ist am Mittwoch das erste von vier Windrädern gesprengt worden. Nach Angaben des Hamburger Anlagenherstellers Nordex ist der Abbau notwendig geworden, weil die Betontürme Mängel aufweisen. Den Angaben nach sollen alle vier Anlagen des Windparks sicher und vollständig rückgebaut werden, um an gleicher Stelle erneut Turbinen zu errichten. Etwa 50 Menschen beobachteten . . . Complete story »
Vattenfall to dismantle Dutch wind farm early after turbine collapse
Vattenfall has decided not to reactivate turbines at a Dutch wind farm after a machine collapsed during stormy conditions earlier this year. It put the remaining turbines at its 17MW Eemmeerdijk wind farm in Zeevolde into a safe operating mode after one of the 17 two-bladed 1MW NedWind units collapsed in early January. However, it will take too long to complete the necessary checks for each turbine before resuming operations, so Vattenfall will now move to dismantle them, the company . . . Complete story »
Vestas probes V112 turbine fire in Denmark
A Vestas turbine has been destroyed by fire at a wind farm in Denmark. The manufacturer told reNEWS that a V112-3.0MW unit caught fire yesterday at the Lem Kær wind park in Western Jutland. The fire was extinguished yesterday evening. All plant personnel are safe and accounted for, the site has been secured, and there were no injuries, the Danish manufacturer said. Vestas said it will work with the customer to determine the root cause. Complete story »
Ford County’s collapsed wind turbine puts more eyes on a new state law
A fallen wind turbine has county officials revisiting a new law. The Ford County Vice Chairman said situations like that are why they have certain ordinances in place. Energy company confirms wind turbine collapses near Paxton “How close is too close? How close are you comfortable having your family or your residents from a wind tower that can come down,” said Emily Lattz, a homeowner in Ford County, “Why should the rights of the county be taken away for them . . . Complete story »
Neighbors react after wind turbine collapses near Paxton
Security around the collapsed turbine is tight to prevent people from getting too close. But as of 5 p.m. on Friday, on-scene reporters saw no one at the collapse site, crews and trespassers alike. Matt Tulis, a spokesperson for RWE Renewables, said the company is now turning to the recovery phase of the turbine, which includes figuring out if any parts of salvageable. They’ve had a drone in the area inspecting the area. Buckley to receive $5M for wastewater infrastructure . . . Complete story »
Energy company confirms wind turbine collapses near Paxton
A leaning wind turbine in Ford County came crashing down Thursday evening. It is located just south of Route 9 near Paxton. RWE Renewables Americas LLC confirmed they received reports the turbine collapsed Thursday evening. They say crews were not there when it happened, but were later sent to investigate the cause. A neighbor who lives about a quarter of a mile from the turbine said the collapse sounded like a “loud rumble of thunder,” and he could feel the . . . Complete story »
Blade separates from turbine, pausing operations at US wind farm
Wind turbines have been “paused” at the MidAmerican Lundgren wind farm in Iowa after a blade separated from one of the Siemens Gamesa turbines in operation there. A blade detached from a turbine at the site before falling into a field on 11 February, MidAmerican confirmed. MidAmerican Energy, which owns the 250MW project, added that nobody was hurt during the incident and that it had paused “fewer than two dozen” turbines at Lundgren and “other sites” to gather more information. . . . Complete story »
Abgerissener Windrad-Flügel in Alfstedt: Landkreis setzt Frist
[A rotor blade of a wind turbine in Alfstedt near Bremervörde that broke off months ago has polluted the surrounding fields and has not yet been repaired. The district has now set a deadline.] Ein vor Monaten abgebrochenes Rotorblatt einer Windkraftanlage in Alfstedt bei Bremervörde hat umliegende Felder verschmutzt und ist bislang nicht repariert. Nun hat der Landkreis eine Frist gesetzt. Per Verfügung hat der Landkreis Rotenburg/Wümme angeordnet, dass der Betreiber das beschädigte Teil des Windrades bis spätestens zum 20. . . . Complete story »
Windrad-Fasern sind im ganzen Ort verteilt
[Months later, pieces from broken wind turbine blade scattered all over] Uwe und Karin Tiedemann müssen auf ihrem Alfstedter Acker nicht lange suchen, bis sie kleine Kunststoffteile finden. Sie stammen von einem abgebrochenen Windkraftanlagen-Flügel, der seit Monaten defekt ist und die Plastikteile verteilt. Es knickte am 15. September das Rotorblatt einer Windenergieanlage im Windpark Alfstedt ab. Am 29. September riss es komplett ab. Die Bruchstelle ist groß, aus ihr gelangen seit Monaten feinste Kunststofffasern und auch größere Teile in die . . . Complete story »
