Collapse mechanism and risk management of wind turbine tower in strong wind

Abstract

As fossil fuels and people’s environmental awareness increases, renewable energy is becoming one of the world’s most anticipated areas of development. Taiwan has an outstandingly favorable environment for wind farms, and the Taiwanese government actively promotes wind-power generation (such as its “Thousand Wind Turbines Project”). Many wind turbines are expected to be built, driving the development of land-based and offshore wind turbines. Owing to its geographical location, Taiwan is prone to typhoons that bring constant strong winds and torrential rain in the summer. These natural phenomena have caused the collapse of several wind turbine towers in Taiwan in recent years, causing serious economic losses. Typhoon intensity and frequency have been increasing, so identifying the causes of wind turbine collapses and developing corresponding risk reduction measures have become crucial. This study investigates domestic and international wind turbine tower collapses to identify the mechanisms that trigger strong wind-induced wind turbine collapses; to analyze the activation mechanisms of tower collapse and the forces that are exerted on the wind turbines at these times, and to generalize the factors that govern wind turbine collapse. The root cause analysis of strong wind induced damage of wind turbines is applied. Based on the results, remarks concerning risk reduction of accidents involving wind turbines are provided.