The last time I reported on the Vineyard Farms offshore blade failure near Nantucket, the facility was closed because of the failure of Vineyard Wind’s newly installed wind turbines, and the city was poised to sue.
After all, the beaches were cluttered with sharp fiberglass shards, which is a sub-optimum condition at the height of the summer tourist season.
Continuing investigation into the cause of this environmental contamination incident has determined that a manufacturing flaw in the blade was responsible for the failure.
Keep in mind that Vineyard Wind is the first major U.S. offshore wind farm. Many of the blades that went into its construction will now have to be inspected and perhaps repaired.
The turbine blade broke on July 13 and left potentially dangerous debris on beaches on the island of Nantucket. U.S. authorities later ordered a shutdown of the project, which is still under construction.GE Vernova said a preliminary analysis had determined that insufficient bonding led to the breakage, adding its quality assurance program should have identified the issue.The company said it would re-inspect all its offshore wind blades to check for potential defects. The company has made about 150 blades at its Gaspe, Canada facility.”We have work to do, but we are confident in our ability to implement corrective actions and move forward,” a GE Vernova spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
I am glad they are confident of their ability to “move forward,” but I am not sure that substantial fixes will work. More debris from the broken turbine blade in the Vineyard Wind offshore project has fallen into the ocean, and is now expected to reach the iconic progressive community of….Martha’s Vineyard.
After an alert issued Tuesday by the town of Nantucket advised the public that small debris washup — mostly popcorn-sized pieces of foam — was anticipated on the island on Wednesday and Thursday, but new models based on shifting winds on Wednesday suggested that foam and other debris is “more likely to be visible on Martha’s Vineyard, rather than being concentrated on the south beaches of Nantucket,” Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg advised in an email late Wednesday afternoon.The company on Wednesday mobilized personnel, contractors and resources on the Vineyard “to quickly identify and collect any foam and other debris that may appear on the island,” he said.
Beege Welborne of Hot Air blog is also following the developments related to Vineyard Wind and other large wind farm projects closely. She notes that the locals have been less than impressed by the company’s response to the continuing deterioration of the blades.
So, with construction at Vineyard Wind halted, one would imagine the wind farm company partners and GE had been all over this disaster trying to square things away, right?Well, you’d think so, but then again, you’re dealing with renewable grifters. They don’t seem in too big of a hurry to do jack. Locals are already pissed off.
Of course, green-energy-pushed progressives are whistling past the rapidly developing wind farm graveyard. The Democratic governor of Massachusetts neglected to mention the crisis in her discussion of renewables.
“We have leaned hard into all things renewables,” the governor said. “This administration appointed the country’s first ever climate chief, we’ve gone out with the biggest procurement on offshore wind in the country, and we are competing every day to make Massachusetts the hub of climate technology.”Noticeably missing in Healey’s remarks was any mention of what Nantucket officials and residents are calling a “crisis,” with the remnants of the Vineyard Wind blade failure which sparked on July 13, continuing to be felt into the new month.
Jerry Leeman, CEO of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association, will try to get the attention of Kamala Harris‘ husband, Doug Emhoff, as he does a fundraising sweep of this region.
“We remain gravely concerned that micro-particles from fiberglass debris could poison local marine life. Worse still, we are still awaiting answers from the developer.””We hope Mr. Emhoff learns about the effects this disaster has brought to coastal communities during his visit to Nantucket,” he said.
I wish the New England fisherman good luck in that endeavor. The green energy activists among the politically connected are refusing to acknowledge the consequences of ignoring physics, rushing technology, and neglecting free market realities.
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