Please attend the TMLWP
Meeting on Tuesday March 12, 2013
INTRODUCTION
The
town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island (Portsmouth) commissioned a new AAER
1500-77-65 1.5 Megawatt wind turbine on March 24, 2009. On May 18, 2012,
significant amounts of metal were found in the gearbox oil filter housing and
significant internal damage was observed with a borescope. The filter element
was replaced on May 25, and the turbine was returned to service. The turbine
was removed from service on June 18, 2012 after significant additional metal
was discovered in the filter housing.
(Insert Town of Templeton for Portsmouth
RI.)
BACKGROUND
The AAER 1500-77 was manufactured by AAER Wind Energy of Quebec, Canada. AAER declared bankruptcy shortly after commissioning, and all service contracts and warranties through the OEM were lost. AAER built the turbines under license from AMSC Windtec , who has licensed similar designs to several manufacturers around the world. According to Alexander Groeber, Director of Global Service for AMSC, “We are not 100% sure what AAER has finally built – they have bought a license for 1650 and have built a 1500 ... so we can’t be sure about the whole detailed turbine configuration.”
The AAER 1500-77 was manufactured by AAER Wind Energy of Quebec, Canada. AAER declared bankruptcy shortly after commissioning, and all service contracts and warranties through the OEM were lost. AAER built the turbines under license from AMSC Windtec , who has licensed similar designs to several manufacturers around the world. According to Alexander Groeber, Director of Global Service for AMSC, “We are not 100% sure what AAER has finally built – they have bought a license for 1650 and have built a 1500 ... so we can’t be sure about the whole detailed turbine configuration.”
Anecdotal
information indicates several thousand are in operation, mostly with a
different model of gearbox. In 2009 and 2010, five similar AAER 1500-77 wind
turbines with identical gearboxes were installed in the United States1.
Since then, at least 3 of the 5 turbines have experienced gearbox failures (one
is operating at 1000kW peak output due to grid limitations). The design
lifetime of the turbine is 20 years, including the PPSC 1290-A120 gearbox
manufactured by Jahnel Kestermann (JaKe) of Germany.
There is a footnote in this paragraph:
1 Barstow,
CA (1, operating at 1000kW peak output due to grid limitations), Tehachapi, CA
(2), Templeton, MA (1)
It would appear our turbine is headed on
the same path as the turbine in Portsmouth R.I. Portsmouth RI has produced this
Gearbox Failure Investigation. The time has come to ask our Light and Water
Commissioners a few questions about our wind turbine. All the more reason to
insist on a forensic audit of the wind turbine. The wording for my citizen
petition for the ATM in May:
Forensic audit
To
see if the town will vote to require the Templeton Municipal Light Department
to conduct a forensic audit of all costs involved in the planning, construction
and commissioning of the John LeClerc Wind Turbine to be paid for by the
Templeton Municipal Light Department. The auditing firm to be selected by
mutual agreement by both the Templeton Light Commissioners and the BOS and the
report of the forensic audit to be presented to the Town at the next Annual
Town Meeting.
List
of sources of information for Portsmouth RI Wind Turbine:
Portsmouth
Patch…like Pauly’s blog. One blog post of note:
Third option -take it down
! The residents of Portsmouth are being sold a Yellow Brick Road story where
the taxpayers are going to end up in the Emerald City rebuilding a
multi-million dollar broken commercial wind turbine.
The town is being given
two brick roads from Portsmouth one yellow the other red or option one and
option two. Industrial wind is a bunco scheme of enormous consequence in which
taxpayers should not quietly be fleeced by such mendacity, even from their
government officials
The first issue should be public
safety,setbacks ,ice throw,shadow flicker,low frequency noise and a review of
the setbacks to the town water tank.
It's a well know fact
towns in Massachusetts such as Falmouth are taking down commercial wind
turbines because of health problems. In the past six months thousands of noise
and shadow flicker complaints have taken place in Kingston, Scituate, Falmouth
and Fairhaven ,Massachusetts.
My
opinions…supported by FACTS ! ! !
Julie
Farrell
Oh my, I watched some of the video about the problems of the wind turbine, near a man's house. How awful!! Nothing prepared me for how bad the flicker can be. I would be sick, I could not live there. It is not like the town does not have enough problems, as it is. This is a disaster..no way should that thing be so close to the school, no how no way. Click on the "Flicker from Portsmouth Turbine" You have to see it to believe it. Oh yah, "go buy a shade", That will not cut it. Bev.
ReplyDeleteAt the STM a man came up to me and asked me alot of questions about TMLWP and why i was doing what i was doing. Answered him in the same way i told the audience with out my written speach.
ReplyDeleteI have to say thank you to him and will go see him. He and his family and neighbors are my main concern and will get the respect they should!
I've asked at the light meetings about this issue and was floored by the response,others were as well. The lack of studies and advise were the problem from the start.
Previous posted comments were about wind turbine problems and one said there is a bill in the senate to fund problem and unsafe turbines and the for removal of the turbines. Templeton officials need to get involved as it is their duty FIRST to protect the safety of the people. This issue will be brought to the forfront of all meetings i attend and won't be able to be swept under the rug,Like the advise from General Electric"s was. Once is bad enough! Join me Templeton.Lets find the facts and help our neighbors!
Shareholder
Dave Smart
sorry "speech"
ReplyDeleteDecomissioning,Wind wise Mass. in support of several bills on becon hill! to right the wrongs as we wind to energy without reguards for public safety and health!
ReplyDeleteDave
I feel another blog coming on to try to explain what I feel were mistakes that were made by the commissioners (I was one of them at the time) with this turbine project.
ReplyDeletePlease remember that the total cost of the turbine has never been certified or determined. Therefore my new citizen petition for a forensic audit of this project. My best guesstimates range from 3.8 million to 4.1 million.
Th wind turbine project was years in the making, before I was elected as commissioner. Templeton's turbine was not a turnkey operation. We purchased the nacelle from AAER, spec'ed and built the foundation and tower. At one point the bolts for the tower came from Spain and the washers came from Ohio. I can't remember where the blades came from.
If the gearbox is in failure, as seems likely from the Portsmouth RI Gearbox Failure Investigation, then the costs we (as in all ratepayers) are looking at are astronomical. These costs impact the payback period, depreciation, and viability of the project.
In order to replace the gearbox, a huge( very expensive) crane would be needed in addition to the gearbox(very expensive) itself. In order for the crane to be properly sited to accomplish this task, it is very likely the long jump and pole vault pits would be effected. Those costs should be included as well.
I don't think the project earns RECs when it is out of commission. I believe the projected output of the turbine effects our assessed costs associated with load. In my opinion, these are just a few of the factors that need to be weighed in the decision making process of how to address the problems with the turbine.
I was looking at the article on Portsmouth's wind turbine, and they mentioned insurance. Does our wind turbine have any insurance on it?? If it does, how would any company insure the thing, being in such a bad location. There is no end to the problems, echo hill and company has brought to our town. All of this stuff, makes me sick! Bev.
ReplyDeleteWhen i/asked JD he said yes liabilit insurance and only 2 million worth!
ReplyDeleteHe Did not say about lost production insurance .I would doubt that a not certified turbine would qualify for it!
Dave
Who did the site work for the turbine? The foundation and footings?
ReplyDeleteContract for $681,171.00 to Waterline Industries to install the turbine foundation ,access road ,crane pad and provide trenching and materials for electrical infrastructure installation.Lumus Construction [Adivivision of Solaya Construction] was awarded the contract of 388,500.00 for the erection and commissioning of the turbine.
ReplyDeleteGlad to help!
Info in the annual 2010 report.
Dave
Bev, it appears you have been sick for a long time. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteNasty nasty Dana
ReplyDeleteAny recent updates on this issue?
ReplyDelete