Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:32:47 +0000, Andy Burns wrote:

I saw this video before you posted the link. Just odd that it was being
filmed as it collapsed (not many do)
Presumably somebody realised it was going too fast and filmed it
*because* of that, rather than just by chance

That is my view. If I saw a wind turbine going at that sort of rate I'd
stop and watch (from a distance). If I had a movie camera I'd film it.

and even odder that you can hear the windmill after it collapses.
Actually just watched it again, I see what you mean, but that just seems
like dodgy editing (due to the slow-mo?) where the video and sound are
way out of sync.

Agreed duff editing.

How do you shut a windturbine down after the winds are too strong?

Automatically feather the blades, face it into the wind, apply brakes and
pray. If any part of the automatics fail, then you "have a problem".

A Vestas turbine again I read in the Copenhagen Post link. There have been
a couple of Vestas turbine collapses in this country in the last year.
Both in high winds...

http://www.campbeltowncourier.co.uk/...354/Bent_doubl
e.html

and

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/7168275.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content..._down_20080103
_gallery.shtml?1
http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/opi...aspx?id=583095
http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/new...aspx?id=585346
http://www.off-grid.net/2008/01/15/v...bine-collapse/

Note in the BBC News Story:

"The Health and Safety Executive said it would not investigate the
incident as no-one was hurt. Police and the turbine owners are looking
into the collapse."

The news (rather than opinion) from the Cumberland News:
"The wind turbine collapse is thought to be the first of its kind in the
29-year history of the British Wind Energy Association."

Er have the BWEA got a *very* short memories or doesn't the Scottish
collapse count for some reason... The off-grid link implies that the
Scottish collapse is down to "foul play". I haven't found any reports,
preliminary or otherwise, into the reasons behind either collapse, has
anyone else?

Its just one more nail in the coffin, for me. These things already use -
due to the low load factors - more materials than a proper turbine set
should, and each one needs regular maintenance, from a team that is
going to have to be there onsite ..and that means thousands of people
looking after them on ny large scale implementation.

Two technologies vanished overnight due almost COMPLETELY to their
servicing requirements being massively more than the replacement: The
steam locomotive and the piston engined commercial aeroplane.

It was te same erason that on the Fens the windmill pumps were replaced
wit first steam engines ,then diesels, and then electrics..lower and
lower maintenance required.

Largely because the windmills were so pathetic at pumping you needed one
in every field at least. Whereas a big steam engine could drain tens of
square miles..