Discussion Topic 6: Discuss safety in wind energy.
Unlike fossil power sources, wind energy consumes
no fuel and does not emit air pollutants. It is
thus environmentally friendly.
There are however safety issues associated with
wind energy and a number of cases have been reported over the past years for
example the German turbine fire, catastrophic Danish turbine accident
(22/02/2008) and Ardrossen wind firm fire (8 December 2011) among others. Some
accidents have affected workers transporting, erecting and maintaining the
turbines. Wild life fatalities have also been reported. Collision of flying Bats and Birds with wind turbines results in
many fatalities.
Wind turbines also emit noise as they rotate
(aerodynamic noise of blades) which may have severe impacts on the human ears
especially if the turbines are located near homes. The materials used for
making wind turbines like steel concrete and aluminium are at times heavy and
pose risks of the turbines falling off leading to death especially during heavy
winds. Wind power is also un reliable in freezing temperatures because ice formation on turbines blades
could have a serious impact on the operation efficiency of the turbines thus it
is important to study the weather patterns of
a given area before considering this technology. Metallic materials are
used during the manufacture of wind turbine blades hence there are risks of
lightning strikes leading to turbines shedding apart of the blade or the whole
blade (mechanical failure).
Oscillating shadows due to rotating blades leads
to optical disturbances of residents thus wind turbines/ farms need to be
isolated from houses, streets, roads where the population is high to ensure
safety. Wind turbines are also prone to fires especially if not well maintained,
overheating could occur due to expired lubricants and stressed bearings.
Offshore wind turbines may also pose some safety
risks to boats and ships thus proper safety measures need to be in place.
In conclusion, I think wind energy is a better
alternative as opposed to fossil fuels provided the above associated risks are
put in consideration while designing and installing wind turbines.
Regards,
John Bosco Aliganyira
Msc.Oil and Gas Eng.
References:
http://www.britishwindenergy.co.uk/ Add to e-Shelf
Wind energy systems for electric power generation by M. Stiebler , 2008
Advances in wind energy and conversion technology Sathyajith Mathew; Geeta
Susan Philip; , 2011.