When the wind blows too hard

[D2Cat]

515K views · 7K reactions | Wind tower Aftermath- SW of Highmore SD 6/30/26. 130 mph + winds, a few laid over in different direction. At least 20-30 towers down, considerable damage to others. | Andy Wicks

Wind tower Aftermath- SW of Highmore SD 6/30/26. 130 mph + winds, a few laid over in different direction. At least 20-30 towers down, considerable damage to others.

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[armylifer]

They are going to have to park a lot of EV's until they get that mess cleaned up and functional again.

 

[Scm]

They are going to have to park a lot of EV's until they get that mess cleaned up and functional again.

They have "dirty" diesel generators for that

 

[GreensvilleJay]

don't they 'feather' the props when the winds too strong ?

 

[#40Fan]

don't they 'feather' the props when the winds too strong ?

I didn't read the article, but normally they'd shut them down when wind is up. You'd think the centrifcal force when spinning would help keep them upright.

 

[GeoHorn]

It looks to me as if the towers themselves were not up to the task, regardless of whether the blades were in operation or not.

 

[Sidekick]

It looks to me as if the towers themselves were not up to the task, regardless of whether the blades were in operation or not.

Probably made from Chinesium in China. Renewable energy means renew after each storm .

 

[bucktail]

don't they 'feather' the props when the winds too strong ?

They do but that only protects them up to a point.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

you can feather a prop on a plane at high speed and they stay on....

 

[Poohbear]

As is my understanding, the force applied at the top of the tower is multiplied by the height to get the force applied to the bottom of the tower. Probably not designed for 140 mph winds

 

[GeoHorn]

you can feather a prop on a plane at high speed and they stay on....

Airplanes themselves have “Red Lines”… so-called “Never Exceed” speeds….. “Vne”.

There are no man-made objects which are invulnerable to nature.

(Witness: Space Shuttle Columbia)

 

[bucktail]

As is my understanding, the force applied at the top of the tower is multiplied by the height to get the force applied to the bottom of the tower. Probably not designed for 140 mph winds

That would give you the torque that the tower needs to withstand at the base. There would have been more down if it had hit further south

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Airplanes themselves have “Red Lines”… so-called “Never Exceed” speeds….. “Vne”.

There are no man-made objects which are invulnerable to nature.

(Witness: Space Shuttle Columbia)

none of the prop planes I flew had feathered props spin by the wind, ok, really,really slow, but not at high RPM

 

[GeoHorn]

none of the prop planes I flew had feathered props spin by the wind, ok, really,really slow, but not at high RPM

If the airplanes you mention were reciprocating-engine-equipped….the props would Not Spin….due to piston-compressions.

Fooling-around…on ferry flights…or taking the machine back ”home” after maintenance…. it was a (unauthorized) frivolous demonstration / action to feather Both Props on a King-Air while in-flight.

The free-wheeling props would spin very-slowly… likely not due to relative-wind…but most likely the result of powerplant-design…. The PT-6 engine was a reverse-flow turbine, in which the gas-generator produced hot-exhaust gas, purely for the purpose of ”blowing” it against a free-wheeling turbine geared to a feathering propeller.

(In fact, in arctic conditions it was not unheard-of for a person to actually Hold the prop stationary while the engine was started… the “horse-holder” (that‘s My Personal little “joke” in-reference to old cavalry-practice)… would then step-away After the engine was started. This little exercise was to allow the turbines to reach operating temperatures prior to allowing the prop power-turbine-to-combustion liner clearances to stabilize.) I don’ t believe that was actually necessary… or called-for by the mfr’r…but it was not an uncommon practice in -0 temps by some operators.)

 

[aaluck]

don't they 'feather' the props when the winds too strong ?

You would think! The whole thing is designed to "work" with the wind. No one ever thought "what plan do we have if the wind becomes stronger than normal".

 

[jimh406]

I'm not a wind power supporter. It seems they are the most inefficient at power production, and I hate the look. Sure, they made a lot of money for a few companies. As they age out, more people will realize how bad they are. Probably one of the bigger mistakes we've invested in.

It seems like even the proponents list money making and jobs as being "advantages".

Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy

Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy

www.energy.gov

 

[lynnmor]

I'm not a wind power supporter. It seems they are the most inefficient at power production, and I hate the look. Sure, they made a lot of money for a few companies. As they age out, more people will realize how bad they are. Probably one of the bigger mistakes we've invested in.

It seems like even the proponents list money making and jobs as being "advantages".

Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy

Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy

www.energy.gov

We have a pair of windmills in my area that aged out in 14 years. If you read the article note that the things haven't produced much for a year or more. Aged wind turbines. I wonder how many tax dollars were used to construct the junk.

So I looked it up and found this:

The project was made possible by $4 million in tax credits and a federal stimulus fund grant.

PPL Renewable Energy owns the turbines, but the authority will be paid interest on a loan to PPL and get 12.5 percent of revenue from the sale of electricity.

"It's a very good arrangement for us financially, and PPL as well," Warner said.

PPL will get a 30-percent tax credit for producing alternative energy, and the project will help the utility meet a state requirement for producing renewable energy. funding

 

[Scm]

We get wind, AI gets nuclear.
seems fair