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.
Wind turbine tower vs. car
MARSHALL – A crash involving a trailer carrying part of a wind turbine tower stopped traffic at the intersection of South Bruce Street and East College Drive on Wednesday morning. However, there were no injuries, Marshall Police said. The crash was reported at 10 a.m., said Marshall Public Safety Director Rob Yant. A 2005 Buick driven by a 27-year-old man from New Ulm sideswiped a trailer carrying the base for a wind turbine. The Buick received significant damage, Yant said. The . . . Complete story »
Danish wind output down over summer
Wind turbines in Denmark produced 1,657GWh in the two summer months, according to transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet – down from 2,167GWh in the same period last year. But output from coal, gas, solar PV and biomass combined was still lower than wind production in June and July, according to the Danish Wind Energyy Association (DWEA). The lack of Danish wind production was replaced by imports from Germany, Sweden and Norway, it added. Christian Kjær, director of the DWEA, said: . . . Complete story »
A ‘huge disappointment’: St. Cloud VA to remove failed wind turbine
The St. Cloud VA Health Care System plans to remove a wind turbine on its campus that has stood idle for years. The turbine was part of an effort by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to use more renewable energy at its facilities across the country. Wind was supposed to supply a significant portion of the St. Cloud medical center’s electricity. But shortly after it was installed in 2011, the turbine stopped functioning. Since then, it’s loomed as an . . . Complete story »
St. Cloud VA to take down ill-fated, dysfunctional wind turbine in 2019
ST. CLOUD – The ill-fated, much maligned and profoundly dysfunctional wind turbine at St. Cloud VA Health Care System will finally have its last chapter. “We’re going to take the thing down,” Barry Venable, public affairs officer, said Friday. “After seven and a half years, it’s an item of curiosity.” The VA has “fully explored” its option to repair the turbine and has decided to take it down in 2019, Venable said. “To characterize how we feel here locally, we’re disappointed,” . . . Complete story »
Whitehorse’s wind turbines are pretty much blown
A couple of Whitehorse landmarks will soon be gone, according to Yukon Energy. The two wind turbines, overlooking the city from atop Haeckel Hill, will be decommissioned and the company is hoping to sell them off. “Turbines of this generation typically only last about 20 years. So they’ve reached pretty much their end of life,” said Andrew Hall, CEO of Yukon Energy. The first turbine was installed in 1993, and the second, larger one went up in 2000. Hall says . . . Complete story »
Four of NYS Thruway’s costly wind turbines stand idle. Why?
Tens of thousands of people every day drive past the towering wind turbines posted at four Thruway exits between Eden and the Pennsylvania state line. But no matter how windy the day might be, those two-blade turbines stand motionless. Just a few years after the New York State Thruway Authority spent about $5 million on five turbines, four of them stand dormant. And a spokesperson indicated the Thruway Authority does not know when they will become operational again. “They are . . . Complete story »
Power worth less than zero spreads as green energy floods the grid
A negative price is essentially a market signal telling utilities to shut down certain power plants. It doesn’t result in anyone getting a refund on bills -- or in electric meters running backward. Instead, it often prompts owners of traditional coal and gas plants to shut down production for a period even though many of the facilities aren’t designed to switch on and off quickly. It’s left the utilities complaining that they can’t earn the returns they expected for their investment in generation capacity. Complete story »
Monts d’Ain: une éolienne prend feu dans la nuit
L’éolienne n°9 s’est embrasée en pleine nuit. Photo Guy DOMAIN Le parc éolien visible à des kilomètres à la ronde avait bien triste mine ce vendredi. Photo Guy DOMAIN Les pompiers ont évité la propagation de l’incendie à toute la forêt de la montagne de l’Avocat. Photo Guy DOMAIN L’éolienne numéro 9 du parc des Monts d’Ain, sur la commune d’Izenave, a pris feu dans la nuit du jeudi 2 au vendredi 3 août. Les pompiers sont intervenus aux alentours . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine sparks grass fire
A malfunctioning wind turbine sparked a grass fire near Arlington that burned about 2,000 acres on Thursday. Joe Claughton, North Gilliam Rural Fire Protection District chief, said no buildings were burned, but two railroad trestles caught on fire. The fire started about half a mile from milepost 3 on Highway 19 by Rattlesnake Road. Claughton said he’s seen about “half a dozen” wind turbine fires over the years, but this is the first one he saw that sparked a grass . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine caught on fire in Arlington
Firefighters put out a fire in Arlington on Thursday that started from a wind turbine. Arlington Fire Chief said a wind turbine caught fire and spread to a nearby brush/grassland. The fire was estimated at 2,000 acres and fire crews were trying to stop the fire at Highway 19 and Rhea Road. No structures were threatened, but the fire burnt mostly grassland and 2 railroad trestles on the waste management line. Arlington is a city in Gilliam County, 50 miles . . . Complete story »
