Plymouth Wind Turbine Blackout Resolved A Catastrophic Failure

This modern direct-drive turbine failed after only 4 years. Another real embarrassment in the Massachusetts history of wind turbine disasters starting in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

The electric drive shaft suffers catastrophic failure.

The Plymouth project is comprised of 4 direct drive wind turbines with a generating capacity of 8 MW. In Massachusetts, this is the largest privately-owned wind power project with the tallest wind turbines in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

There has been a shift in wind turbine technology in the last twenty years. The older type of turbine has a gearbox between the low-speed rotor and a higher speed electrical generator and needs its expensive gearbox changed every 5 to 10 years to get to its twenty-year lifespan.

The Plymouth wind turbine installed in 2016 are direct drive and are supposed to eliminate gearbox failure and transmission losses, manufacturers have developed these wind turbines without gearboxes. This type of modern wind turbine technology is the basis for direct-drive wind turbines; the synchronous generator is directly powered by the rotor.

Modern direct-drive wind turbines were supposed to be better alternatives for offshore applications, as they require less preventive and break down maintenance vis-à-vis geared wind turbines.

Operation and maintenance are also far more expensive for offshore farms as compared to their onshore counterparts.

This failure of one of four Plymouth direct-drive wind after only four years shows these type turbines don't last any longer than their older gear-driven counterparts.

Ultimately this increases the overall unreliability of turbines and wind farms going into the oceans.

Massachusetts commercial and residential electric ratepayers only now have a future of their electric bill becoming a second mortgage on their business or homes.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker backs the ocean wind turbines despite the land based wind turbine disasters: