Windmill on fire

[Mups]

Just seen that a wind turbine has caught fire near Peterborough today. 




Firefighters were called out at 10 am this morning apparently.

Wonder what caused that?

[JBR]

Just seen that a wind turbine has caught fire near Peterborough today. 




Firefighters were called out at 10 am this morning apparently.

Wonder what caused that?

I don't know, but was it particularly windy?  If so, I think they automatically brake to prevent them going too fast.  On the other hand, it could be that it has just worn out, or perhaps not been maintained properly.

[klondike]

Not to worry they have plenty of money to replace it. A lot of it being mine.

[Ashy]

I don't suppose we shall be told what caused it, because these matters are not investigated in the same way as railway and aviation incidents. 

However, there are two basic issues, electrical machinery and mechanical machinery, either of which can overheat and catch fire. As the bearings run in oil, that is what tends to burn.

Apparently most of the servicing is done from inside. There is a lift up the inside of the shaft and a generator room at the top. I've yet to hear of anyone being trapped in the lift or stuck up the top in the generator room, but what an awful prospect. Imagine that happening out at sea! 

[Mups]

I wondered if these things could catch on fire and combust like some electric cars do?
Do you reckon that's possible?

[JBR]

Apparently most of the servicing is done from inside. There is a lift up the inside of the shaft and a generator room at the top. I've yet to hear of anyone being trapped in the lift or stuck up the top in the generator room, but what an awful prospect. Imagine that happening out at sea!

I wasn't aware of that, but I suppose that would be the easiest way to get up there for maintenance.

I wonder what happens if the lift won't work.  A ladder alongside the lift?  Dropped off by helicopter?
Personally, I'd prefer a nuclear power station or two.

[klondike]

I wondered if these things could catch on fire and combust like some electric cars do?
Do you reckon that's possible?

It's thermal runaway in the battery that causes electric cars to set alight. No batteries in wind turbines.

I think the usual failure with wind turbines is either the brakes failing or not being set which causes them to go too fast in high winds. Then they either catch fire or self destruct from the mechanical stress with the blades breaking off and sometimes the entire tower keeling over.

Lots of videos of them coming to grief on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Wind+turbine+failure

[Mups]

Goodness me,  I never dreamed those things had so many accidents.
I would think that if one caught fire in a dry summer cornfield,  the whole crop could catch light very  quickly.

Thanks Klondike.

[klondike]

I'm no fan of the things but they are mechanical devices and there will inevitably be some that fail. I imagine the failure rate probably isn't all that excessive and the numbers just reflect the fact that there are so many of them.

[Ashy]

Personally, I'd prefer a nuclear power station or two.

Me too. If they're good enough for submarines they're good enough.

[Cassandra]

Lots of videos of them coming to grief on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Wind+turbine+failure

Thanks, cheered me up no end, shame ED wasn't wth them

[JBR]

Incidentally, although I am more in favour of nuclear power stations than windmills, I understand that those windmills erected offshore in the North Sea are more productive than many of those cluttering up our hills.  I don't know much about comparative costs of installation and maintenance, but why turn off the offshore ones?

[Cassandra]

Incidentally, although I am more in favour of nuclear power stations than windmills, I understand that those windmills erected offshore in the North Sea are more productive than many of those cluttering up our hills.  I don't know much about comparative costs of installation and maintenance, but why turn off the offshore ones?

I had the misfortune to have a weekend property fifty yards from the beach on the North East Essex coast. I watched in horror as they destroyed the vista from my windows as they progressed across the the skyline like Martian Fighting Machines in 1999.

As we don't possess any statistics from the present administration or past Conservative thieves, who knows if the water based things cost more or less to build. Surely, as you can't dig holes in water they must cost more!

Generally, for example what are the construction and erection costs of the hideous things, wherever they appear? What are the amortisation (write off) periods and therefore expenses to dispose and replace? What are the revenues and what are the the expenses to the public of "Constraint Payments" (when there's too much wind the grid can't cope with it and so generators like Cameron's father in law and King Charles receive millions in compensation as if there product was being used?). Does anyone of a sane mind believe or trust anyone from the present UK Govt over anything any way!

Would any respectable, established successful tycoon accept investing trillions without these essential facts, how could they possibly sign a cheque without knowing. Would anyone pay Tesco in advance without the cost of their basket being calculated? This dreadful administration in the UK allows dangerous ideological lunatics like Milliband to say what they like and to skew or dodge answering any common sense questions ...

https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2021/09/25/wind-farms-paid-nearly-2m-to-switch-off-even-as-customers-face-soaring-energy-bills/

[dextrous63]

By the time it all goes tits up, the Wallace lookalike will be long gone and someone else will be picking up the pieces and describing their own madcap scheme.

[Cassandra]

Over here since  Biden went to live in to a cupboard and Harris was clearly a loser, the corporates have withdrawn their money. They intelligently utilise DCF (Discounted Cash Flow) schematics to show Rates of Return. Their shareholders not unnaturally, want to see their working out too!

I remember back at Primary School, my masters required me to show how I'd arrived at my answers for my homework the next morning!

Here in the States, only 12% today of electricity comes via the windmills. Why? because when our dreamers Biden and co were in power, corporations like Shell, Exxon, EDF etc were forced into investing Billions into Green Energy blindly by the Democrats. Fines were enormous upon them if they didn't yield to the Socialists demands without question.

They were also they forced into employing 'Green' growbags to manipulate their boardrooms from within. These instructions in entirety ultimately led back to Davos and the Globalists gang. "Go woke, go broke" as The Donald says ...