Technology

‘Off the Scale’ Winds Send Turbine Engine Up in Flames

The U.K. has been experiencing some particularly gusty weather in the last few days. With winds topping out at 165 mph, this wind turbine couldn’t take it anymore.

Wind Storm Spins Scottish Wind Turbine So Fast It Explodes

(Photo: Stuart McMahon/The Telegraph)

The 100 meter turbine in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, Scotland, burned out its engine due to high winds, according to The Telegraph. It is also reported a second turbine fell completely over. Each turbine cost £2 million ($3.1 million).

The Telegraph has more on the unusual weather:

Jonathan Powell, senior forecaster at Positive weather Solutions, said: “These gusts are really off-the-scale, and surpass hurricane-force. The criteria for what we have seen would fit the weather-bomb scenario.”

Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers, described the phenomenon as “an explosive development where the pressure drops dramatically in a very short time leading to these sorts of conditions”.

The winds have caused schools to shut down and cars are recommended to stay off the road.

Here is a BBC news report showing some of the conditions:

[H/T Gizmodo]

Comments (185)

1 2 3 ... 5
  • miren
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:36am

    Did GM build these wind turbines? Reminds me of the Chevy Volt.

    Report Post » miren  
    • Miami
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 3:09am

      Its a bird, Its a plane No….. Its my power bill going up in flames

      Report Post » Miami  
    • chazman
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 6:18am

      … a total lack of common sense up in smoke. This would be funny if it didn’t cost so much money … what a waste.

      Report Post »  
    • MrObvious
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 6:27am

      na, it’s still funny :)

      Report Post »  
    • recon198
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 7:34am

      Good one

      Report Post »  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 8:04am

      Nah, they were built by THE OTHER government run monopoly… GE !

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
    • lobster
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 8:19am

      GE and Mitsubishi ( the same people that brought us the Zero), are the prime builders.

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 8:59am

      Ah nothing like seeing deceptive “Green energy” going up in smoke. And there’s really nothing quite like watching God destroy deceptive Green energy.

      Report Post »  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 9:00am

      Miami

      Its a bird, Its a plane No….. Its my power bill going up in flames
      _____________________________________________________

      Probably the best post on this article. Succinct, True, funny, sad.

      Report Post »  
    • Bluefish49
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 9:40am

      No GE,,,,,NO KIDDING.

      Report Post »  
    • John 1776
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 9:56am

      Well, the term “Engine” is wrong as that is defined as something that is consuming oxygen through combustion… Oh wait… In this case, it would be right! ;)

      Report Post » John 1776  
    • GroundZero is Nuclear Demolition x3
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 10:02am

      An Internal Combustion ENGINE (ICE) produces power from a fuel source. A MOTOR (electric, hydraulic, pneumatic) receives energy from an outside power source. GENERATORS turn kinetic energy into power.
      If you are going to communicate in ENGLISH, LEARN THE TERMS.

      @tomfairy I seriously doubt u have any pilot experience, b/c if u did u would understand drag increases w/ weight to produce lift. To believe sheet aluminum can shear structural steel is pure STUPIDITY.!.

      Report Post »  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 10:21am

      Seems like a design flaw to me. Why isn‘t there an over speed clutch in these things if they are so ’expensive’?

      Just like why wasn’t there a self destruct mechanism in that Drone that Iran got its hands on? Loose ‘comm’ start the countdown. If the Drone only cost $6M, these “turbines” cost more.

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
    • KeystoneState
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 10:38am

      Zero carbon emissions my Tush! LMFAO!

      Report Post » KeystoneState  
    • TXPilot
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 11:14am

      One would think, that if they spent so much money designing and building these ridiculous turbines, that someone would have thought to include a blade feathering feature to allow them to be shut down, in the event of high winds……guess not.

      Report Post » TXPilot  
    • Therightsofbilly
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:21pm

      @eliasim

      :-}

      a

      Report Post » Therightsofbilly  
    • Rightsofman
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:51pm

      The lib future.

      Report Post »  
    • bhohater
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 1:04pm

      China built them for GE, and just like all the other cheap crap they make they don’t last. The one’s in the US do the same thing. Thank god for coal or we’d all be sitting in the dark.

      Report Post » bhohater  
    • JMorcan
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 1:55pm

      Made in China?

      Report Post » JMorcan  
    • patriot308
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 6:47pm

      to: GROUNDZERO IS NUCLEAR DEMOLITION X3

      Ughhhhhh….. decaf?????

      Report Post »  
    • The1stDave
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 9:39pm

      They really should have an overcurrent limiter that deenergizes the windings and either lets the windmill freewheel or turns the fan blades to face the wind in such a way that “stops the fan”. Winds of over 165 mph are difficult to build for. Hard to design a windmill for a cat 5 huricane. An energy converting device with just too much energy. Can’t control the wind, period. Either blows too much or not enough.

      Report Post » The1stDave  
    • Uranium Wedge
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 11:46pm

      What’s the carbon footprint on something like this?

      Report Post » Uranium Wedge  
    • KAdams
      Posted on December 11, 2011 at 3:01am

      Wow! Look at all that black greasy smoke just billowing from that engine! How much carbon’s being released into the air from that thing! Man! Someone better notify EPA or whatever passes for that in the UK… they are going to be SO mad… I see a turbine protest brewing here… Lobbyists? Where art thou?!
      /sarcasm over and out.

      Report Post »  
    • Cheekymnky2
      Posted on December 11, 2011 at 9:57pm

      I just thought it was the new coal powered wind turbine

      Report Post »  
    • lukerw
      Posted on December 13, 2011 at 2:15pm

      Burn… baby… Burn!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • ManThong
      Posted on July 20, 2012 at 7:58pm

      The picture can deceive as to scale..

      Each of those housings is likely the size of a semi tractor.

      Report Post » ManThong  
  • MrMagoo
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:35am

    Trust me,they are as ugly as they look.

    Report Post » MrMagoo  
    • kaydeebeau
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 8:24am

      and so incrediblly pratical on a large scale – considering that it would take somewhere in the neighborhood of a 2 mile wide 125 mile long string of them running at optimal capacty under constant optimal conditions to generate the same power as the small Commanche River power plant in Texas

      Report Post » kaydeebeau  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 9:04am

      MrMagoo
      A wind turbine is beautiful piece engineering. But dotting the landscape in multitudes, they are extremely ugly.

      kaydeebeau
      Using a little too much logic, you might scare the enviru-whackos from posting.

      Report Post »  
    • HorseCrazy
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 11:06am

      yes they built these hideous towers throughout my state‘s rural area’s where we live. They have destroyed the scenery that was once gorgeous and untouched. The mountain views are now corrupted by climate politics. They are killing local birds, eagles, hawks and owls at a rapid pace as well

      Report Post »  
    • The Gooch
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 1:05pm

      Damned if you, damned if you don’t…
      I live ~ 30 minutes from Mt. Storm, WV, site of the VEPCO power plant in my neck of the woods. Lo & behold, the windmill craze (& hate) is alive and well here in the eastern panhandle.
      Windmills make me laugh because of the emotions evoked on both sides.
      My wife & I were recently at a local Denny‘s with two grandam’s in the booth next to us. The daughter (?) was ranting about how the windmills next to the Rt. 93/U.S. 50 cause her vertigo & how their placement across the ridge causes all kinds of “dangerous optical illusions.” The NIMBY crowd… even amongst the greenies… is alive & well in WV. Not so much talk about dead birds here, but one of the generators did go up in flames (last year I believe). What’s funnier are the Final Destination-like scenarios being proposed by locals: Ice shards or detached blades flying thru the air & impaling/decapitating motorists, hunters and especially cranky old ladies.
      My brother is a boiler maker (i.e., welder who works at power plants). He has informed me the area windmills are a carbon credit scheme. This kid’s facts when it comes to all things energy related are usually spot on.
      Windmills don’t impress me & don’t anger me. It‘s like Lewis Black’s take on corn ethanol: The country is in the middle of a nervous breakdown. People want guilt free electricity. Good luck with that. At least we‘re maturing enough to know that hitting a light switch isn’t some form of magic

      Report Post »  
  • Atrocities
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:28am

    What they aren’t telling you is that this is all part of the over all plan to prove that wind power, even in disaster, is still safer than coal, nuclear, hydro, and natural gas. – Um ok….. NOT.

    Report Post » Atrocities  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:34pm

      Bill Gates developing nuclear reactor with China
      AP – Wed, Dec 7, 2011

      Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates says he is in discussions with China to jointly develop a new kind of nuclear reactor.

      During a talk at China’s Ministry of Science & Technology Wednesday, the billionaire said: “The idea is to be very low cost, very safe and generate very little waste.”

      Gates backs Washington-based TerraPower, which is developing a nuclear reactor that can run on depleted uranium.

      He says TerraPower is having “very good discussions” with state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation.

      Gates says perhaps as much as a billion dollars will be put into research and development over the next five years.

      Report Post »  
    • Sparhawk
      Posted on December 11, 2011 at 7:12pm

      @Walkabout: Bill Gates building a nuclear generator? This takes the dangers of a Blue Screen of Death to an all-new extreme.

      Report Post »  
  • Gypsy123
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:15am

    They can‘t control the wind Only God can but they don’t believe in him

    Report Post » Gypsy123  
  • RootsOfTruth
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:04am

    More Green energy… Up in smoke

    Report Post » RootsOfTruth  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 2:58pm

      “vibroacoustic disease”

      http://www.aweo.org/badwind.html

      Check out a book on ergonomics

      Ask someone who works on an assembly line with air tools.

      Whatever you do, don’t ask a GREEN TOOL, who recites talking points.

      Report Post »  
    • Erinc
      Posted on December 11, 2011 at 11:01pm

      There is no such thing as “green energy”. It’s a myth :)

      Report Post » Erinc  
  • wellitsallright
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 1:46am

    @ JohnK144

    I’m not fully sure if this is the wind turbine that fell over but I think this is a picture of it. Here is the link: http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/08/wind-gusts-provoke-turbine-alert-coldingham-wind-gusts-see-houses-evacuated/

    Report Post »  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:52am

    One less $3.1M bird and bat killer…

    Report Post » The-Monk  
    • Chuck Stein
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 1:47am

      True. Very true.

      Report Post »  
    • Walkabout
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 9:09am

      Enviru-whackos were the 1st people to oppose wind power in the States in the 80s for killing bats. Wind power was touted as a way to get off dependence for Mideast oil. So naturally the whackos were against it.

      The cam AGW & now the whackos are for it.

      Give them some time & the envirumentalists will be against it again.

      Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 10:52am

      Henry Waxman must be shaking in his boots.

      Report Post »  
  • Snoopy64
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:51am

    oops, I didn’t give a complete address, my bad http://www.aweo.org/windconsumption.html It just makes you think. What’s really going on with these turbines?

    Report Post »  
  • valleyfever
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:45am

    Looks to me like the one that’s burning is facing the opposite direction.

    Report Post »  
  • Snoopy64
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:35am

    Let’s think outside the box…how much electricity does a wind turbine use as apposed to what it puts out? Nobody ever asks that question. I found this site http://www.aweo.org/windconsumption

    Report Post »  
  • ScottyRawdy
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:26am

    The Windmill has a fever -Al Gore

    Report Post » ScottyRawdy  
  • Skee
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:23am

    The wind just created more green sustainable jobs than Obama.
    Maybe Obama had a speaking engagement in Scotland.
    Somebody needs to check on that.

    Report Post » Skee  
  • Just A Private
    Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:07am

    3.1 million dollars ??? At that price it should have been attached directly to a money printing press to pay for itself.

    Report Post » Just A Private  
    • MR_ANDERSON
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 12:17am

      Who wants to take bets on “weather” or not it had paid itself off yet?

      Also, what is with a broadcast by the BBC about what is going on that they include speeds in MPH instead of KPH? I remember how there was a movement to switch to KPH in the US to match the rest of the world. are they now changing in UK to match us?

      Report Post »  
  • Constructionist
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:49pm

    What’s the carbon footprint of a giant flaming windmill?

    Report Post » Constructionist  
  • manjodad
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:41pm

    True it may have burned up, but it produced so much energy, I’ll bet it was able to power the water pumps to put out the fire. On the other hand, just think about how much CO2 it put into the atmosphere. Get Al Gore out there to figure out if this was a positive or negative carbon footprint. Trying to discern that is giving me a headache.

    Report Post »  
  • dnewton
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:40pm

    This is no problem, just turn down the heat to make up for the loss of capacity. Just put a surcharge on all other power meters and buy replacements. More taxes always fixes everything if you are a socialist.

    Report Post »  
  • Agent P
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:17pm

    What happens when we build so many wind turbines that they act like propellers, which will cause the earth to spin slower, which will cause the days to get longer…and hotter…oh crap, these things cause global warming…

    Report Post » Agent P  
    • MrObvious
      Posted on December 10, 2011 at 6:34am

      It’s a better theory than AGW.
      Actually though, I think progressive politicians are making things heat up.
      Nobody blows more hot air than them.

      Report Post »  
    • sgtstubbs
      Posted on December 11, 2011 at 12:29pm

      You know if Gore reads this he will beleive it. LOL

      Report Post » sgtstubbs  
  • topperj
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:07pm

    This is why everyone wants one of these in their backyard. That and for killing rare birds.

    Report Post »  
  • billrow
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:54pm

    Was Al Gore in town?

    Report Post »  
  • Sheepdog911
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:41pm

    Now that’s green!

    Report Post » Sheepdog911  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:28pm

    Tsk tsk.. that turbine looks like it had a gas tank.

    Report Post » Stoic one  
  • abbygirl1994
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:28pm

    Hahahahahaha I like the fact all the left ideas keep going up in smoke.. thank you God.. thank you thank you!!

    Report Post » abbygirl1994  
  • JohnK144
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:20pm

    Just think about how many birds this will save.

    And, can I please get a picture of the turbine that “fell completely over?“ That would be the perfect image for the entire ”green energy” movement.

    Report Post »  
    • woodyl1011fl
      Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:59pm

      The picture must include the democrat Obummer and the all the usefull democrat senate and house idiots in BOZO the the clown outfits or medieval joker outfits.

      Report Post »  
  • Platonician
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:16pm

    Obama wants to install one of these above every American house…, I wonder why.

    Report Post » Platonician  
    • dnewton
      Posted on December 9, 2011 at 11:37pm

      Obama must not know about the zoning regulations that would have to be changed to get that to happen. Sometimes, turbines mess up TV reception and neighborly relations.

      Report Post »  
  • Kankokage
    Posted on December 9, 2011 at 10:12pm

    Not enough wind, they don’t work. too much wind, they blow up in a fiery cataclysm. This is comedy.

    Report Post » Kankokage  
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