Page 16 - North American Clean Energy January/February 2019 Issue

wind power
Fanning the Flames...
What do we really know about wind turbine res?
by Suzanne Albright
e answer is pretty clear when it comes to res that make the headlines; impressive videos of res burning out of control, toxic black smoke lling the sky, burning turbine blades, and other parts shooting through the sky are well documented worldwide. Perhaps the question we should be asking is, “What do we think we know?”
As it turns out, not too much. According to researchers at the University of Edinburgh, the numbers are grossly underreported by the wind industry. “Researchers carried out a global assessment of the world’s wind farms, which amount to an estimated 200,000 turbines. e team, from Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, estimate that more than 117 turbine res take place each year.”1
Wind industry leaders tend to dispute this information, but there is currently no international regulatory organization requiring them to report turbine accidents and failure. ere are, however, various organizations committed to tracking and reporting turbine accidents. Caithness Windfarm Information Forum in Scotland is one such organization. From 2000
through September 30, 2018
(the end of the third quarter of
2018) Caithness has reported
330 turbine res, including 19
so far in 20182. Although lower
than the 117 annually claimed
by researchers at Imperial
College London, the number
is large enough to reinforce
the need for regulatory
oversight. Caithness
derives information from
accident reports, insurance
documents, and news articles.
JANUARY•FEBRUARY2019 /// www.nacleanenergy.com Helwig_Ad_WindPitch_35x4875.indd 1 1/15/18 12:33 PM
Why is accurate reporting of
great importance?
Public safety. Industrial wind projects are often
built in rural communities on farms leased to wind developers by farmers, to boost their income. Setbacks from homes and other dwellings, property lines, and neighboring homes and properties are determined
by local governments (these vary widely around the world). Toxic smoke from burning ber composite blades, lubricating oils, and other turbine components are detrimental to the health of people and animals. Turbine blades are currently approaching 288 feet
in length (again, composed of glass and carbon ber composite). When older berglass blades burn, they release tiny airborne particles, which are easily inhaled and deposited in the lungs, irritating the capillaries.
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