THE MOST RECENT failure of GE Vernova’s giant Haliades-X turbine occurred because of what may have been human error.
A preliminary investigation suggests the blade failure on August 22 at the Dogger Bank wind farm off the coast of the United Kingdom happened because the turbine was left in “a fixed and static position” that made it vulnerable to high winds during a subsequent storm.
“GE Vernova analysis has shown that this blade event was not caused by an installation or manufacturing issue but instead occurred during the commissioning process,” said a statement issued by Dogger Bank. Dogger Bank said the improper positioning of the turbine occurred “during the commissioning process being performed by GE Vernova.”
Reuters reported earlier that the turbine rotor was locked in place and the yaw system, which orients the rotor to the wind, was disabled.
The preliminary analysis illustrates how the giant turbines starting to go up along the coast are not immune to weather or human decisions. But the analysis is also somewhat good news for GE Vernova, which has now experienced three blade failures on the Haliade-X turbine within four months and could ill afford to have a second incident related to a manufacturing problem.
In mid-July, a turbine blade at the Vineyard Wind wind farm broke apart, spewing fiberglass and foam into the ocean, which washed up on Nantucket and other beaches in the area. The preliminary cause of that incident, according to Cambridge-based GE Vernova, was improperly applied bonding agents during the manufacturing process.
An earlier blade failure at Dogger Bank in May was blamed on improper installation of the turbine.
“We continue to investigate the recent offshore wind events involving our blades and are taking every necessary step with customers and authorities to safely move forward with the installation of the Dogger Bank and Vineyard Wind farms. Our current analyses indicate that the causes of the recent blade events are unrelated,” said a GE Vernova spokesperson.
The post Latest GE blade problem blamed on positioning of turbine appeared first on CommonWealth Beacon.