Wind turbine blade shatters and falls at Sumac Ridge wind farm in Ontario

What happened

On a Saturday morning in April 2019, residents near Pontypool in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, reported hearing a loud screeching noise from a wind turbine. One of the turbine's blades, reported to weigh about 5,400 kilograms and measure 45 metres long, was found bent and had partially shattered, with sections of the blade falling to the ground. The turbine is one of five on the Sumac Ridge site west of Bethany, which had been operating for about three years at the time.

The site owner, WPD Wind, said such damage was rare and confirmed it would investigate the cause. No cause had been determined at the time of reporting, and officials were still investigating the extent of the damage.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The operator stated it had no comment on a possible cause and would launch an investigation.

Lessons learned

1. A 45 metre blade weighing 5,400 kilograms can shed large sections, so operators must maintain exclusion zones and inspect blades on all turbines of the same model.
2. A loud screeching noise reported by residents can indicate imminent blade failure, so operators should investigate such reports at once.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Turbine model and age
• Exact cause of the blade failure
• Cost of damage and downtime
• Extent of debris and repairs needed

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

globalnews.ca