A 120-meter wind turbine at Exelon Generation’s Harvest I wind farm in Elkton, Mich., collapsed on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 5:12 a.m. ET. There were no injuries, and the cause of the collapse is currently under investigation. The collapse is unrelated to another recent wind turbine blade failure at DTE Energy’s Sigel Wind Farm, which is located nearby.
“We’re currently investigating the cause of the event,” an Exelon spokesperson tells NAW. “As part of our investigation, we will perform a comprehensive review of the structure and events leading up to the event. We believe this is an isolated, turbine-specific event and not a larger fleet-wide issue.”
According to Exelon, the turbine in question was a Vestas V82 model “designed to withstand arctic weather conditions” and has “successfully withstood hurricanes.” The V82 has 41-meter blades and a generating capacity of 1.65 MW.
Vestas tells NAW that “service technicians and technology experts are working closely with the customer and are in the process of determining what caused the incident.”
The Harvest I wind farm went online in December 2007 and comprises 32 turbines that have a total generating capacity of 52.8 MW. The Wolverine Power Cooperative has a 20-year deal to buy power from the Harvest I wind farm.
At the time of the incident the National Weather Service reported heavy snow conditions in the Eklton area, with average wind speeds of around 8.3 m/s and wind gusts of up to 16.9 m/s.
