{"id":374034,"date":"2025-04-07T09:58:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T07:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=374034"},"modified":"2025-04-07T09:58:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T07:58:55","slug":"near-disaster-german-wind-turbine-sees-brake-failure-impossible-to-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=374034","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Near Disaster: German Wind Turbine Sees Brake Failure, Impossible to Stop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From NoTrickZone<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0P Gosselin<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Maintenance on the cheap. Poorly maintained turbines in Germany posing a hazard. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

German online energy news site Blackout News<\/a> reports on how an old wind turbine spun completely out of control near motorway at a wind farm near Gro\u00dfweitzschen in Central Saxony \u2013 and couldn\u2019t be stopped!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image attempt by Grok AI.\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe approximately 30-year-old turbine went into an uncontrolled spin in strong winds after the braking systems failed,\u201d reports Blackout News<\/a>. \u201cDespite several attempts, technicians were initially unable to stop the rotor blades spinning unchecked. Only when the wind died down did the turbine gradually come to a standstill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident worries the wind industry as the runaway wind turbine could not be stopped due to an emergency brake failure and thus \u201cposed a serious safety risk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExperts attribute the failure to a combination of factors, including material fatigue after decades of operation, inadequate maintenance of the braking systems and extreme gusts of wind at the time of the incident,\u201d writes Blackout News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As older turbines age, they become uneconomical to operate. Operators tend to cut corners when it comes to maintenance and repairs, which can be extensive for the older ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local mayor J\u00f6rg Burkert called for immediate action, and authorities are now pushing for an immediate plant shutdown and dismantling of the rogue turbine \u2013 also an expensive step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early stage investigations point to an emergency brake fault and that a \u201ccomplete failure of the system\u201d could have occurred. Experts are calling for consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnergy experts are now calling for stricter maintenance regulations for older turbines and regular load tests of the braking systems. Clear decommissioning criteria in the event of technical defects should prevent similar incidents in future,\u201d adds Blackout News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That the authorities are worried is completely reasonable as turbines cannot be left to spin out of control and collapse catastrophically near people and infrastructure because no one is adequately maintaining them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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