Investigators search for cause of UMPI's turbine fire

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Comment by Frank Haggerty on April 7, 2018 at 1:21pm

In 1933 the Germans proposed building a massive megawatt commercial wind turbine. They decided wind power, using the cost-free wind, can be built on a large scale. This was thought to be technically and economically possible and opens up a quite new life-important type of power generation. The future of wind was no longer small windmills, but very large real power plants.

The Germans felt this would be a Social program run by the government that would put people to work. The plans were dropped because the steel was too expensive. (Did Not Work)
link: 
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/07/the_nazi_origins_o...

In 1976 the US Department of Energy and NASA conducted tests in Boone, North Carolina and other locations around the country building wind turbines. The study was conducted by scientist Neil Kelly in which it was found low-frequency infrasound made residents around the wind turbines sick. (Did Not Work) 
link:
http://docs.wind-watch.org/Kelley-et-al_-Noise-MOD-1-wind-turbine-s...

In 2010 the Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts placed two town-owned wind turbines near a residential location. The town had been warned in advance by maps, emails, and letter the turbines generate 110 decibels of noise and up to 200 residential homes around the turbines could have decibel readings over 50 decibels on and in their property locations. The Massachusetts courts shut down the town-owned wind turbines as they are a nuisance.

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Comment by arthur qwenk on April 7, 2018 at 12:01pm

Parts are Parts!

The more you have that move, the more the machine will break down. Over centuries, windmills and the current wind turbines break down  with regularity. There is no getting around it. As long as gravity and friction exists here. You cannot thwart the  science of basic earthly physical principals. Can you imagine having turbines in an ocean environment?

Turbines are and never will be as trouble free  as say, a flat monocrystalline solar panel. In either case, wind turbines and solar panels are LOW DENSITY generators. They will never replace dense sources such as fossil fuels , nuclear and hydro  and biomass for that matter which also use turbines for generation as well, but land based turbines are much  easier to repair than a tower mounted monstrosity in an isolated area, or at sea for that matter. (as a matter of fact, wind turbines are modified fossil fuel burners).

Until politicians and citizens realize that science rules, not politics , this absurdity will cost society too much and will eventually be abandoned by present and future dense sources. 

How much damage will be created environmentally and economically along the way  by this archaic technology is the only question.

Comment by Frank Haggerty on April 7, 2018 at 10:49am

The  team of specialists who visited the wind turbine should look for worn bearings - In gear box driven wind turbines the gear boxes only last 5 to 8 years and need to be replaced. 

The main problem is these gear boxes hold 200 gallons of caustic transmission fluid which can ignite through leaks caused by bearings heating up seals in the motor. 

The leaks ( 200 gallons of flammable fluid mixed with the fiberglass equals a fire that can not be shut down.

Gear boxes cost around $600,000.00 and half that for a rebuilt one --The specialized crane is $150,000.00 for a minimum of 3 days and $50,000.00 for each additional day. 

When gear boxes get replaced they need a blade inspection --because blades do wear all three blades need to be replaced if the original blades can not be replaced. 

Wind turbines in the United States were sold to last 20 to 25 years -- Most turbines are lucky to make it to ten years with a gear box replacement every 5 to 8 years 

Gear box replacement has become a cottage industry adding millions to the original costs of just one wind turbine