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.
Stalled turbine should spin by September; It needs maintenance, parts, says owner Varian
The troubled giant wind turbine on the grounds of Applied Materials’ Varian Semiconductor Associates has been temporarily shut down for an extended period for the second time in the past 22 months, a company spokesman acknowledged Wednesday. While the the blades of the 492-foot behemoth – the largest of the three turbines that tower over Gloucester’s Blackburn Industrial Park – will likely remain still until late August or into September, they should once again spin at full speed once a maintenance . . .
Wind turbine catches fire in Lincoln County
Firefighters in Lincoln County responded to an interesting call on Tuesday. A wind turbine was on fire just north of I-70. With the wind turbine standing over 400 feet tall, crews said the fire was impossible to reach. Sylvan Grove Fire Chief Marc Lovin says there isn’t anything his firefighters can do but let the turbine burn. “For safety reasons, we don’t approach the tower normally because there are obviously charges from high voltage electrical current,” said Lovin. Lovin says . . .
Blade from wind turbine falls into Oklahoma man’s cornfield
ENID, Okla. – Nearly two months after a blade broke off a turbine at an Enid farm, investigators are still investigating the root cause of the incident. In late May, a blade broke off a wind turbine on Breckinridge Road and flew into a 160 acre cornfield owned by Ken Carpenter. He tells Newschannel 4 it’s something he was surprised to discover in his own backyard. “The turbine sits in the cornfield, but the blade broke off and flew about 100 . . .
Breckinridge Road wind turbine repair completed
A wind turbine that had a blade break off and fly into a cornfield east of Enid in early June has been repaired and is running again, but cause of the blade failure still is under investigation. The damaged turbine had the broken blade replaced, and operation of it resumed Friday, said NextEra Energy spokesman Bryan Garner. General Electric, the manufacturer of the turbines and turbine blades at the Enid area wind farm, now has the damaged blade and is . . .
Are four wind-turbine failures in five weeks too many for NextEra Energy?
The business of wind generation is less than breezy these days for clean-energy producer NextEra Energy Resources. In Saginaw County, Mich., in late June, a blade on a 160-ft turbine snapped and was left dangling from its rotor (ENR 7/10 p. 4). The turbine is one of 75 at the 120-megawatt Tuscola Bay Wind Energy Center. Earlier in June at the Steele Flats wind farm in Nebraska, one of 44 turbines collapsed. On June 5, a 2.5-megawatt turbine at the . . .
Crews repairing wind turbine in Bear Creek Twp.
BEAR CREEK TWP. – Crews are at work repairing a wind turbine that was severely damaged in a fire last year at the Bear Creek Wind Farm. The turbine caught fire Nov. 10, and firefighters were unable to access it because of falling debris. As a result, firefighters let the blaze burn itself out, sending a thick cloud of black smoke billowing over parts of the Wyoming Valley. Workers seen in the area this week are busy replacing the turbine, said . . .
Causes of turbine failures remain a mystery
NextEra Energy, owner of the Steele Flats wind farm in southern Nebraska, has suffered at least four wind turbine calamities in recent weeks, including broken blades, a fire and a collapse. Steven Stengel, a spokesman for the Juno Beach, Florida-based energy company, said the incidents are under investigation in cooperation with the turbine manufacturers, but it could be weeks or months before they figure out causes. No injuries were reported because of the failures. “We have roughly 10,000 wind turbines . . .
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union slam Goldwind Australia after White Rock Wind Farm accident
Goldwind Australia has been slammed by a trade union after three workers were injured in a single-vehicle rollover at White Rock Wind Farm on Monday night. Two were taken to hospital while a third worker, a 22-year-old man, was flown to Tamworth Base Hospital with spinal injuries and internal bleeding after their ute rolled 30 metres down an embankment. The trade union, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), slammed the wind power giant this week, accusing it of unsafe . . .
160-foot wind turbine blade snaps, dangles from rotor
BLUMFIELD TWP, MI – The 160-foot blade of a wind turbine broke from its rotor Monday morning in rural Saginaw County and is now left dangling. Workers were alerted to the break when the wind turbine went offline Monday morning, June 26, said Bryan Garner, a spokesperson for NextEra Energy Resources. Investigators believe the break was caused by an equipment malfunction and that it wasn’t weather-related, Garner said. “We believe this was an isolated equipment issue,” Garner said. “Blade failures are . . .
Two of three wind turbine blades break in rural Saginaw County
Scary moments for in rural Saginaw County. A wind turbine in Blumfield Township somehow failed crumpling two blades, mid air! The broken turbine is on Gera Road, near Hack. One blade is bent, the other is completely destroyed. It’s believe that strong winds are to blame, but we do not have conformation from the owner of the unit. Neighbors say they’re just glad it stayed together instead of crashing to the ground. An access drive to the blade was fenced . . .
