Are giant wind turbines falling over?

Giant Wind Turbines Keep Mysteriously Falling Over. This Shouldn't Be Happening. The taller the turbine, the more epic the tumble. Turbine failures are on the uptick across the world, sometimes with blades falling off or even full turbine collapses. A recent report says production issues may be to blame for the mysterious increase in failures.

What can go wrong with a wind turbine?

Wind turbines are complex pieces of machinery and there’s a lot that can go wrong with them. The turbine blades, generators and gearboxes can often fail - meaning that regular maintenance is very important. However, due to the remote locations of wind farms it can be difficult to carry out maintenance duties.

Why are wind turbine blades breaking?

“It is clear that major (manufacturers) have all faced blade breakages,” Mukherjee said in an email. The failures were caused by issues such as design flaws and manufacturing lapses by contractors, he said. As the global wind energy industry grows, the size of the turbines themselves are also growing.

Why are so many turbines falling off?

The taller the turbine, the more epic the tumble. Turbine failures are on the uptick across the world, sometimes with blades falling off or even full turbine collapses. A recent report says production issues may be to blame for the mysterious increase in failures. Turbines are growing larger as quality control plans get smaller.

Are wind turbine blades a vulnerability?

As the global wind energy industry grows, the size of the turbines themselves are also growing. But Mukherjee said such rapid upscaling also comes with “immense engineering challenges,” with blades in particular emerging as a “significant vulnerability.”

What if a wind turbine blade landed on someone?

“If any of the blades had landed on someone, they would’ve been left in a very bad way.” Wind turbine blades should not turn in high winds but footage showed the top of the structure sparking before going on fire and three blades then flying off.