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You don't see this every day - wind generator on fire · 07:21 PM

Last spring, near Jackson, Minnesota. Taken from just off Interstate 90.

The picture I REALLY wanted was one of the local fire department standing around it looking up, thinking "now what???", but unfortunately work was calling...

isin2rt · 11-12-2008, 07:24 PM

You'd think it could put itself out.

Photo Tramp · 11-12-2008, 07:27 PM

Looks like it got a little warm. Could be one of the bearings froze.

Venturi · 11-12-2008, 08:11 PM

Originally posted by isin2rt

You'd think it could put itself out.

OMFG! Nice

**distorted_vision** · 11-12-2008, 08:34 PM

i always knew these contraptions where good for the enviroment! haha!! awesome shots.

jeffkpotter · 11-12-2008, 09:08 PM

That's pretty wild. The third shot is amazing.

Mike Cash · 11-13-2008, 03:26 AM

You didn't get a shot of Algore sitting in his SUV calculating how many trees we have to plant to offset the carbon dioxide?

roentarre · 11-13-2008, 03:40 AM

Lucky that does not happen too often.

Syb · 11-13-2008, 04:10 AM

Thanks for sharing this bad news, anyway!

This is a great proof that wind generators do generate a lot of energy!

vievetrick · 11-13-2008, 06:00 AM

You guys are funny. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. ever find out what caused it?

**Lowell Goudge** · 11-13-2008, 06:00 AM

and they say wind energy is clean

Actually this is just further proof of the theory that all things electric work on smoke, not electrons, and they stop working when the smoke leaks out

I love the last shot, I always wondered what was inside one of these things.

I would be willing to bet that the actual damage is not as bad as it looks, but it makes one wonder about the cover which is obviously some form of fibreglass

markf79 · 11-13-2008, 06:43 AM

I believe they have a maintenance or manufacturing issue at work here. A few months later, another one in the same row of turbines lit up just like this one did. Whomever thought a bearing might be at fault was likely on target.

They are normally maintained by climbing up the support tube to the nacelle, and doing your work inside. However, in an emergency (ie, fire), and this route is blocked I'm told there is a hatch at the rear of the nacelle where you clip on a spring-loaded safety cable (think "bungee cord"), and leap.

There are many hundreds of them here in SW MN. The shot I really want is a panoramic long-exposure night shot that shows all the blinking red lights. That will be awesome. I'll post it if it comes to pass.

Nowhere Matt · 11-13-2008, 12:36 PM

Over the passed five years of driving to Oklahoma from Missouri on I-35 more than a few times in a year, we began to notice, without fail there would always be semi tractors hauling the huge blades of these turbines.
It may be a slight exaggeration but we are fairly certain that everytime we went down there either on the way down or on the way back home we could always count on seeing at least three trucks with one blade each in two pieces on their trailers.

There's that an the "buy a sh!tty truck in Iowa and drag it down to Texas using an equally sh!tty truck" Mexican Cartel.

Kansans, Oklahomans and Texans will get that joke.

mithrandir · 11-13-2008, 04:08 PM

Perhaps the birds have decided to take the wind generators out.

**Sailor** · 11-13-2008, 04:57 PM

I thought these things were supposed to have blades - not blazes.

Jer

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11-13-2008, 06:43 AM	#12
markf79 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 38 Original Poster	More info I believe they have a maintenance or manufacturing issue at work here. A few months later, another one in the same row of turbines lit up just like this one did. Whomever thought a bearing might be at fault was likely on target. They are normally maintained by climbing up the support tube to the nacelle, and doing your work inside. However, in an emergency (ie, fire), and this route is blocked I'm told there is a hatch at the rear of the nacelle where you clip on a spring-loaded safety cable (think "bungee cord"), and leap. There are many hundreds of them here in SW MN. The shot I really want is a panoramic long-exposure night shot that shows all the blinking red lights. That will be awesome. I'll post it if it comes to pass.

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11-12-2008, 07:24 PM	#2
isin2rt Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Maricopa, Arizona Photos: Gallery Posts: 49	You'd think it could put itself out.

11-12-2008, 07:27 PM	#3
Photo Tramp Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lancaster, PA. Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,041	Looks like it got a little warm. Could be one of the bearings froze.

11-12-2008, 08:11 PM	#4
Venturi Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Tulsa, OK Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,636	Originally posted by isin2rt You'd think it could put itself out. OMFG! Nice

11-12-2008, 08:34 PM	#5
distorted_vision Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Moving around Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,308	i always knew these contraptions where good for the enviroment! haha!! awesome shots.

11-12-2008, 09:08 PM	#6
jeffkpotter Guest	That's pretty wild. The third shot is amazing.

11-13-2008, 03:26 AM	#7
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	You didn't get a shot of Algore sitting in his SUV calculating how many trees we have to plant to offset the carbon dioxide?

11-13-2008, 03:40 AM	#8
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Lucky that does not happen too often.

11-13-2008, 04:10 AM	#9
Syb Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Near Utrecht, Netherlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,221	Thanks for sharing this bad news, anyway! This is a great proof that wind generators do generate a lot of energy!

11-13-2008, 06:00 AM	#10
vievetrick Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Easthampton - Massachusetts - USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,183	You guys are funny. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. ever find out what caused it?

11-13-2008, 06:00 AM	#11
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,892	and they say wind energy is clean Actually this is just further proof of the theory that all things electric work on smoke, not electrons, and they stop working when the smoke leaks out I love the last shot, I always wondered what was inside one of these things. I would be willing to bet that the actual damage is not as bad as it looks, but it makes one wonder about the cover which is obviously some form of fibreglass

11-13-2008, 12:36 PM	#13
Nowhere Matt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nowhere Land Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,362	Over the passed five years of driving to Oklahoma from Missouri on I-35 more than a few times in a year, we began to notice, without fail there would always be semi tractors hauling the huge blades of these turbines. It may be a slight exaggeration but we are fairly certain that everytime we went down there either on the way down or on the way back home we could always count on seeing at least three trucks with one blade each in two pieces on their trailers. There's that an the "buy a sh!tty truck in Iowa and drag it down to Texas using an equally sh!tty truck" Mexican Cartel. Kansans, Oklahomans and Texans will get that joke.

11-13-2008, 04:08 PM	#14
mithrandir Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,895	Perhaps the birds have decided to take the wind generators out.

11-13-2008, 04:57 PM	#15
Sailor Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Coastal Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 26,203	I thought these things were supposed to have blades - not blazes. Jer

You don't see this every day - wind generator on fire

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