WIND RUSH 7. How safe are
windfarms?
Jonathan Porritt once said
that a wind turbine is
a “mighty intrusive beast”, implying that nevertheless it was a
sacrifice worth making. It is of course absurd for an “environmentalist” to be so complacent about
the impact that wind turbines have on the environment.
One of the 200 windfarm
action groups in the
Country Guardian is very
grateful to CWIF for their work in compiling this database, and for giving us
permission to publish these extracts.
Below is the Summary
heading of Forum database on their website at www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk .
Please take the opportunity to discover the battle taking place in this wild
landscape.
|
Summary
of Wind Turbine Accident data to These accident
statistics are copyright Caithness Windfarm Information Forum 2008 and
are updated quarterly. The data may be used or referred to by groups or
individuals, provided that the source ( The attached detailed table includes all
documented cases of wind turbine related accidents which could be found and
confirmed through press reports or official information releases up to Data in the detailed table attached is by no
means fully comprehensive – CWIF believe that what is
attached may only be the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of numbers of
accidents and their frequency. However, the data gives an excellent
cross-section of the types of accidents which can and do occur, and their
consequences. It is noticeable that since about 1999/2000 data
has been easier to find – presumably since the wide distribution of media via
the internet. Numbers of accidents in the data reflect this, with an average
of 44.3 accidents found per year from 1999 to 2007 inclusive, and only
an average of 6.2 accidents found per year in the previous nine years
(1990-1998 inclusive). With few exceptions, before about 1997 only data on
fatal accidents has been found. The trend is as expected – the more turbines, the
more accidents. There is a general trend upward in accident numbers over the
past 10 years. This is predicted to escalate unless HSE make some significant
changes – in particular to protect the public by declaring a minimum safe
distance between new turbine developments and occupied housing and buildings
(currently 2km in Europe), and declaring “no-go” areas to the public,
following the 500m exclusion zone around operational turbines imposed in
France. Data attached is presented chronologically. It
can be broken down as follows: Number of accidents Total number of accidents: 527 By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
1 |
8 |
17 |
5 |
9 |
16 |
7 |
33 |
28 |
11 |
64 |
49 |
50 |
49 |
46 |
69 |
65 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Number of fatal accidents: 48 By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
1 |
8 |
8 |
|
2 |
4 |
|
1 |
3 |
|
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Fatal accidents include 6 transport/driver
distraction accidents and 2 unconfirmed accidents from 1996. Of the 53 fatalities: • 39 were wind industry or support/development
workers (maintenance/engineers, etc) and one farmer attempting to maintain
his own turbine. Most common cause - falls from turbines. Included is one
apparent suicide. • 14 were public fatalities, of which three were
from road accidents attributed to “driver distraction of turbines” by police,
one was from a road accident in which a driver was killed in collision with a
turbine transporter, one was in a transport accident in which the road
collapsed and the driver drowned, one was from an aircraft accident which hit
a new and unmarked anemometer, four were from an further aircraft accident
which flew into a turbine in fog (one incident killing four people), one was
a 16-year old boy strangled after his necktie became tangled around an
unprotected turbine shaft, one was a farmer who killed himself due to the
pressure of public opposition to his proposed wind turbines, one was
electrocuted, and the remaining accident was the collision of a parachutist
with a turbine. Human injury A further 23 accidents regarding human injury are
documented. By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
2 |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Sixteen accidents involved wind industry or
construction workers, and a further seven involved members of the public: one
lost a leg in a transport accident, two were hit by thrown ice, one suffered
spinal injuries from a falling turbine part, one fell from 100m metre tower
during an accompanied visit, one flew his aircraft into a windfarm site, and
one had a "near miss" crashing his paraglider near turbines. Three
of these injuries to members of the public were in the Blade failure By far the biggest number of
incidents found were due to blade failure. “Blade failure” can arise
from a number of possible sources, and results in either whole blades or pieces
of blade being thrown from the turbine. A total of 132 separate incidences
were found: By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
3 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
18 |
3 |
5 |
15 |
13 |
14 |
9 |
12 |
16 |
11 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Fire Fire is the second most common accident cause in
incidents found. Fire can arise from a number of sources - and some turbine
types seem more prone to fire than others. A total of 109 fire incidents were
found: By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
24 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
11 |
11 |
8 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only The biggest problem with turbine fires is that,
because of the turbine height, the fire brigade can do little but watch it
burn itself out. While this may be acceptable in reasonably still conditions,
in a storm it means burning debris being scattered over a wide area, with
obvious consequences. In dry weather there is obviously a wider-area fire
risk, especially for those constructed in or close to forest areas and/or
close to housing. Structural failure From the data obtained, this is the third most
common accident cause, with 58 instances found. “Structural failure” is
assumed to be major component failure under conditions which components
should be designed to withstand. This mainly concerns storm damage to
turbines and tower collapse. However, poor quality control, lack of
maintenance and component failure can also be responsible. By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
3 |
6 |
9 |
2 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
6 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Ice throw 23 incidences of ice throw were found (one of
which has been classed as "human injury" above, in italics below): By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
|
|
4 |
3 |
|
3 |
1 |
|
2 |
|
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
1 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only These are indeed only a very small fraction of
actual incidences - a report* published in 2003 reported 880 icing events
between 1990 and 2003 in *("A Statistical Evaluation of Icing
Failures in Transport (non-fatal) There have been 29 reported accidents - including
a 45m turbine section ramming through a house while being transported, and a
turbine section falling off in a tunnel. One man lost his leg in 2006
following a transport accident off the Scottish coast. Most involve turbine
sections falling from transporters, though turbine sections have also been
lost at sea. Two were on main roads in By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90-94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
4 |
|
2 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
3 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Environmental damage (including bird deaths) Only 44 cases of environmental damage have been
reported - the majority in the past few years. This is perhaps due to a
change in legislation or new reporting requirement. All involved damage to
the site itself, or reported damage to or death of wildlife. Fifteen
instances include deaths of protected species of bird. By year: |
|
Year |
70s |
80s |
90- 94 |
95 |
96 |
97 |
98 |
99 |
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
08* |
|
No. |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
5 |
7 |
7 |
15 |
|
*08 to 30 September 2008 only Other types of accident are also present in the
data. Component failure has been reported under "other" if there
has been no consequential structural damage. One entry under
"construction" covers accidents and at least one human injury
during construction of the Horns Rev offshore windfarm in 2002. Lightning
strikes have been included under "other" only when a strike has not
resulted in blade damage or fire. A separate 1996 report** quotes 393 reports
of lightning strikes from 1992 to 1995 in Germany alone, 124 of those direct
to the turbine, the rest are to electrical distribution network. **(Data from WMEP database: taken from report
"External Conditions for Wind Turbine Operation - Results from the
German '250 MW Wind' Programme", M Durstewitz, et al, European Union
Wind Energy Conference, Goeteborg, May 20-24, 1996)
The summary may be downloaded in printable form
by clicking here The full accident list may be downloaded by
clicking here |
[This summary from the
Caithness Windfarm Information Forum needs no comment, except to say that it is
another nail, one of many, in the coffin of wind energy. Please take time to browse through the full
list. Here are a few examples from recent entries, from the 527 incidents
currently reported:
|
Entry |
Location |
Description |
|
505 |
Catcliff, |
"Wind turbine smashed... by wind" A giant
wind turbine sparked major safety fears yesterday when it was smashed by . .
. the WIND. A huge propeller broke off the 190ft turbine close to a busy
motorway link road. The 30ft blade cracked when the turbine was hit by strong
gusts just two months after it began operating. Dad-of-two Martin Oldfield,
46, who lives 600 yards from the turbines in Catcliffe, said: "It raises
questions about how safe these things are. "This
turbine is next to a busy roundabout and could have caused a serious
accident. The wind was high but it gets stronger during winter gales.
"It makes you wonder if they've built these things without thinking of
the consequences." |
|
514 |
|
"Judith Gap Wind Farm
taking toll on bats, birds" An estimated 1,200 bats, most of them
probably just passing through Montana were killed after striking wind
turbines at the Judith Gap Wind Farm between July 2006 and May 2007,
according to a postconstruction bird and bat survey. The number surprised Invenergy,
which owns the farm, as well as government and private wildlife experts.
"It's killing 1,200 bats a year and that's a lot more than anybody
anticipated," said Janet Ellis of Montana Audubon, a bird conservation
group. ...The study estimates that 406 birds, or 4.52 birds per turbine, were
killed during the study period. |
|
508 |
|
"Repair is in the air
at Bluegrass Ridge; Wind turbine maker finds flaws in blades, calls for
refurbishing". The Gentry County wind farm's turbines are undergoing
refurbishment in a national retrofitting program initiated after manufacturer
Suzlon Energy Limited found cracks in the blades of its S-88 wind turbine |
|
493 |
|
Windmill fire causes
$750,000 in damage. Fire caused an estimated $750,000 in damage to a windmill
on Thursday, the Palm Springs Fire Department said today. ...The top portion
of the windmill was on fire and several small spot fires happened because o
falling debris. The fire is under investigation. |
|
|
|
|
Many of these and other incidents are now being captured
on photos or
video clips and are available on the internet:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8174226968688178689
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=oke5PzwpBiE
http://www.responsiblewind.org/docs/wind_turbine_accidents_in_pictures.pdf
Video of a wind turbine on fire in
http://mx.truveo.com/incendio-en-un-aerogenerador/id/3194230329
Danish wind turbine suffers a brake failure, and
collapses near
22 02 2008
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=sbCs7ZQDKoM&feature=related
For clips of several wind
turbine fires/accidents go to:
http://www.videosift.com/video/Super-Wind-Turbine-Mayhem-Playlist