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.
Faulty cable to wind farms costs electricity users millions
Consumers have forked out millions of pounds to switch off Scottish wind turbines while a sub-sea cable to transfer surplus renewable energy south of the Border has been out of action. Scotland on Sunday has learned that the Western Link running from Hunterston in Ayrshire to the Wirral has been offline since the spring when a fault was found during tests. The £1 billion “interconnector” runs for 239 miles under the sea and is designed to export electricity from Scotland . . . Complete story »
Crane operator killed in wind farm construction accident
POWESHIEK COUNTY, Iowa – An accident at an Iowa wind farm has left one person dead. A spokesperson for Blattner Energy–the contracted company building wind turbines for MidAmerican Energy at the North English wind farm in Poweshiek County–confirms a crane operator died as a result of an accident at a construction site. The specifics of the accident, including the cause, are currently unknown. Blattner Energy is cooperating with the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office and OSHA in this investigation. Complete story »
Massive Ontario forest fire sparked by wind farm construction during extreme fire ban, workers allege
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is investigating whether construction crews building a major wind-turbine project on the eastern shores of Georgian Bay amidst tinder-dry conditions caused a forest fire that is now devouring more than 5,600 hectares of land. The fire started last Wednesday on Henvey Inlet First Nation at the site of the province’s largest wind project, where crews are blasting rock and clearing land to erect dozens of wind turbines. Despite “extreme fire hazard” conditions and . . . Complete story »
The heatwave has caused a wind drought with wind farms producing 40% less energy this summer
A lack of wind in the UK this month has caused many of the country’s wind turbines to slow down. Wind energy output across the UK is down 40% from the same time last year, according to a study at Imperial College London. This is despite the fact that more turbines have been built in the interim. Dr Robert Gross looked at data for the Wales, England and Scotland, and found that wind turbines have generated around 2-3 gigawatts. During . . . Complete story »
Blades of windmill ripped off after high speed wind strikes Chitradurga
Strong winds along with heavy rains in Karnataka’s Chitradurga have dismantled a windmill. The huge blades of wind turbines were torn apart as high-speed wind hit the area. The whole incident is caught on camera. However, no injuries to any person were reported yet as these windmills are located at top of mountains. Chitradurga is known for its wind power project aimed at generating clean electricity and subsequently reducing carbon dioxide production. This project is scattered across two districts in . . . Complete story »
Weird ‘wind drought’ means Britain’s turbines are at a standstill
Britain is experiencing a “wind drought” that has slowed or halted the blades on turbines around the country. July’s wind energy output so far is down 40 per cent when compared to the same period last year – despite more wind turbines having been installed in the interim, according to new figures. “We’ve been typically doing between 2 to 3 gigawatts of wind [generation],” says Rob Gross of Imperial College London, which complied the data, “At a windier time of . . . Complete story »
One of Great Falls’ first wind turbines coming down
Great Falls College MSU is removing the wind turbine from its campus. Deconstruction is expected to be complete next week. The wind turbine was purchased used from the University of North Dakota. It had been installed at the wind farm near Raynesford before being moved to GFC MSU. The turbine, which is no longer operational, stopped working in November and the cost to fix and continually maintain it is prohibitive. The purchase and installation of the wind turbine was paid . . . Complete story »
Wind disappears in Britain leaving turbines at a standstill
Britain’s gone seven days with almost no wind generation and forecasts show the calm conditions persisting until the middle of the month. The wind drought has pushed up day-ahead power prices to the highest levels for the time of year for at least a decade. U.K. turbines can produce about as much power as 12 nuclear reactors when conditions are right. During the “Beast from the East” storm that hit Britain in March, they generated record levels of power and . . . Complete story »
Watch as £1million wind turbine is engulfed in fire in Cambridgeshire Fens
Flames engulfed a £1 million wind turbine in the Cambridgeshire Fens this morning, causing plumes of thick black smoke that could be seen for miles around. Fire crews were called to the blaze at the wind farm on Benwick Road, Doddington, at 7.50am on Wednesday May 30. One crew from Chatteris and one crew and a multi-star, equipped with a 31m ladder, from Stanground arrived to find an 89m wind turbine well alight, with debris falling to the ground. The . . . Complete story »
Doddington wind turbine catches fire after storms
An 89m (292ft) wind turbine caught fire after storms hit Cambridgeshire overnight. Firefighters were called to the blaze on one of the blades of the turbine in Benwick Road, Doddington, at about 07:50 BST. Parts of it have broken off with debris scattered in the area but there was no danger to the public, the fire service said. Residents reported thunder and lightning overnight. The cause of the fire is not yet known. [view video at http://www.bbc.com/news/av/embed/p068mk5t/44304296] Complete story »
