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A preliminary examination by Nobel Environmental Power, owner of the $200 million, 65-turbine Altona Wind Park, and General Electric Co., manufacturer of the 1.5-megawatt turbines, found "wiring anomalies" prevented two turbines from shutting down as designed during a power outage.
On Friday morning, one tower collapsed and started a small fire in snow-covered woods, while the other faulty tower was damaged but remained standing, according to a statement from Noble. Debris from the collapsed tower was flung up to a quarter-mile away, according to published reports. No one was hurt.
PSC officials want Noble and General Electric to share the investigations into the towers, blades and generators, as well as any analysis of how far the debris traveled, commission spokesman James Denn said Wednesday. The state also wants to know how many turbines have been restarted since the incident, and information on wind and other weather around the turbines leading up to the collapse.
It was the first collapse of a wind turbine in New York state. The three-bladed General Electrical 1.5 SLE megawatt turbines are between 200 and 280 feet high at the hub where the rotor blades connect, and have a rotor diameter of 250 feet, according to specifications on General Electric's Web site.
Each turbine has a braking system to bring the blades to a halt, including an electromechanical pitch control for each blade, as well as an hydraulic parking brake, according to GE.
Noble spokeswoman Maggy Wisniewski declined comment when asked to describe how the braking systems are meant to function, or what happened to cause a power outage at the wind farm.
According to the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vt., there was no high-wind advisory warning in place for Clinton County on Friday.
The remaining 63 turbines at Altona shut down as designed Friday, and are being restarted once GE finishes tests to ensure the same wiring problems are not present, according to Noble's news release.
The park produces electricity to serve about 32,500 homes.
Noble, which is privately owned and based in Essex, Conn., also operates wind parks in Bellmont, Franklin County; Chateaugay, Franklin County; and Clinton and Ellenburg, Clinton County. It also operated in seven other states.
Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by email at bnearing@timesunion.com.
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