After violent storms and 50mph gales accelerated the blades of a 300-foot-tall wind turbine to twice their normal speed, a £2 million wind turbine was destroyed by the wind.
The violent winds tore the turbine apart and brought it to the ground.
Families in a neighbouring South Wales village described the noise as resembling thunder.
After it went into overdrive, manufacturers Nordex opened an investigation.
A £2m wind turbine was toppled by the wind after violent storms and 50mph gales caused the 300-foot rotor’s blades to rotate at twice their regular pace.
The turbine, which was nearly the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral, was eventually blown apart by the violent winds and brought to the ground.
Families in the neighbouring South Wales village of Gilfach Goch described the sounds as like thunder and lightning.
After a power failure forced the blades to run in a “overspeed condition” for more than four hours and revolve wildly in the 50 mph gusts, Nordex initiated an investigation.
A vehicle may be seen approaching the massive wind turbine that is nearly the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The 50 mph winds tore up and damaged the base and foundations. Families in the surrounding village described the sound of the fall as “thunder and lightning.”
The fiberglass blades are nowhere to be found as the South Wales renewable energy facility lies flat on a field. The manufacturer Nordex has begun a probe into the matter.
The energy generators are designed to shut down automatically when 55 mph winds are detected.
A Nordex official stated, “A Root Cause Analysis examination indicated that a technical issue originating in the Uninterrupted Power Supply cabinet for one of the blades sparked an unusual sequence of events.”
This rendered the primary power supply and the backup power supply to each blade of the pitch system inoperable, leaving all three blades of the wind turbine in an immobile position.
The day’s increasing wind speed caused the wind turbine to reach an overspeed condition, causing it to collapse.
Photographs depict the damage to the £2 million wind turbine at Gilfach Goch, South Wales. Its wind farm had enough energy to heat 18,000 homes until one was destroyed.
At approximately 6.50 a.m. on a Monday in February, villagers reported hearing a loud bang that reverberated across the valley.
The 2013-built, 10-turbine Pant y Wal wind farm supplied enough electricity for 18,000 houses until one of the turbines was damaged.
Ricky Williams, a local resident, characterized it as a clap of thunder in the early hours.
Other residents expressed concern for the safety of the turbines after the fall.
The Pant-Y-Wal wind farm’s turbines were assessed by Nordex, who concluded that the danger of human injury was low and no further action was taken.
A Nordex representative noted, “Temporary measures are being implemented to further limit the likelihood.” A permanent solution is currently being developed to reduce the residual probability.