Investigation into ice shedding at Cambridgeshire wind turbine
Friday 05 December 2008
An investigation has been launched into reports that a 125 metre high wind turbine in Cambridgeshire was shedding ice last weekend.
Whittlesey, near Peterborough
They described to their local newspaper, the Wisbech Standard, seeing ice forming on the 90m diameter blades that was shed when the blades started moving.
Wind energy developer Cornwall Light & Power confirmed to New Energy Focus this afternoon that it is working with its turbine manufacturer Vestas to ensure it does not happen again.
A spokesperson for the company, which is part of Renewable Energy Generation Ltd, said: "We take this matter very seriously and are conducting, in conjunction with the turbine manufacturer, a full investigation into what happened and what can be done to ensure ice shedding does not happen again."
Turbine
The Vestas V90 turbine at King's Dyke was completed in August at the headquarters of potato growers Abbey Produce, where a fire destroyed the company's warehouse back in February.
We take this matter very seriously and are conducting, in conjunction with the turbine manufacturer, a full investigation.
The site is in an industrialised area, but there are several residential houses within a kilometre of the turbine.
Cornwall Light & Power said it had shut down the wind turbine when it heard reports of the ice shedding incident last weekend.
The company's spokesperson said: "Our people have visited the site and nearby residents, and we have agreed that the turbine will not generate until we are fully satisfied that there is no risk of ice shedding. We will talk to nearby residents prior to re-starting the turbine to generate electricity."
The risk of ice falling off turbine blades was cited as the main reason a wind project for Manchester City Football Club was abandoned by energy firm Ecotricity last month (see this New Energy Focus story).
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