Fallen turbine

More information needed on collapses

New Yorkers need to understand why a 300-foot tall wind turbine weighing 187 tons collapsed in a Madison County cornfield.

The collapse is not an isolated incident. However just because such a failure is uncommon provides no excuse not to aggressively pursue the reasons why. All across the state communities are facing pressure to site wind turbines. As these local governments proceed they must know why the turbine fell.

The turbine near Fenner in northern Madison County came crashing to the ground Sunday before sunrise. Less than 10 years old, the structure fell more than 1,000 feet away from a house or road. That is fortunate.

The owners of the 20-turbine wind farm, Canastota Windpower LLC., a subsidiary of Enel North America Inc. based in Andover, Mass., were investigating the circumstances earlier this week. Such an investigation by the owner is certainly necessary but is not adequate.

Besides the Fenner site, which can produce as much as 30 megawatts of electricity, the company operates a 6.6 megawatt facility in Gainesville, Wyoming County, and owns wind farms in Minnesota, Kansas, Texas and Newfoundland.

Another industrial turbine toppled in New York earlier this year — in Altona, Franklin County. There the blades of a 392-foot-tall turbine spun out of control after the braking system malfunctioned, causing a fire and a partial collapse of the structure.

The collapses and malfunctions of wind turbines do not disqualify the technology from being used. But wind turbines are like any evolving technology — knowledge and higher degrees of safety are developed by a thorough analysis of the causes of every failure.

Independent engineers need to determine whether soil conditions, design flaws, construction short cuts, poor manufacturing or lack of maintenance contributed to the failure.

Given the vast economic and political interest in exploiting the wind to create electricity, New York state should immediately take control of this investigation with a goal of providing improved building code standards for any turbine built in New York. The investigation should also include rigorous inspection criteria for existing wind turbines to determine any potential flaws.

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo's office is well suited to execute this independent appraisal. It has the expertise, the authority and the credibility to deliver a report and recommend new design and construction requirements, which will assure New Yorkers that the burgeoning wind generation business is not a threat to their safety. Mr. Cuomo should take control and initiate the required investigation immediately.