Wind turbines rarely fail. So why did Vineyard Wind's fall apart?
Wind turbines rarely fail. So why did Vineyard Wind's fall apart?
Tests show a manufacturing defect caused the failure of a turbine off the coast of Nantucket, a mishap that has energized opponents of renewable energy.
A preliminary analysis of the Vineyard Wind turbine that failed has found that, although the fundamental design of the machine’s 351-foot blades is sound, a manufacturing flaw caused one of them to snap as it spun over the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.
tests revealed that insufficient bonding was applied to the blade at its factory
GE stressed that its investigation has so far found no reason to doubt the integrity of the design, noting that, “there is no indication of an engineering design flaw in the blade.”
Seems like a fairly uncommon failure mode. I hope it doesn't result in pushback against future renewable energy projects.