And Then A Gust....

                                               

The Daily Telegraph reports, I’m hoping for pre-school children, on the tumble down of a windmill;

A 35-metre turbine has collapsed near Holsworthy leaving the tower lying on the ground.

For those not sure where stuff ends up when it falls down.

The £250,000 tower, which stood as tall as a six storey building, was hit by gale force gusts of 50mph.

50 MPH? Gusts? It’s a windmill, designed for the UK, right?

The structure then collapsed at a farm in Bradworth, Devon.

So it was getting blown all over the countryside, became exhausted and collapsed at a farm in Bradworth?

...hail storms and strong winds have hit the area and the turbine, installed just three years ago, simply could not withstand the wind. "The bolts on the base could not withstand the wind......”

Better say it a third time while we’re here, could not withstand the wind. That ol’ bolt ring looks okay though. A simultaneous, all round bolt stripping? Bummer.

Installed by renewable energy company Dulas it was supposed to have a life expectancy of 25 years. They noted that “wind speeds are part of our root-cause investigation”.

Three years out of twenty five ain’t bad. I repeat, 50 MPH? Gusts? It’s a windmill, designed for the UK, right? And now, and only now, they’re going to investigating the effect of wind speeds? On a windmill?  Me? I’d be looking for an anti-windmill guy with a torque wrench.

A spokesman for Wales-based firm Dulas said the generator had a five-year warranty......

No problem if they didn’t take the extended warranty then.

“Our technical team is one of the most experienced in the UK...”

And obviously getting more experience all the time.

Initially it was thought the turbine or its mechanics had burst into flames, but since there were no witnesses, this cannot be confirmed until the investigations are finished.

If it'd been its mechanics, the clue would’ve been a bunch of guys running round screaming, “Help!! Help!! I’m on fire!!” Other than that, check the wreck. And the mechanism. Burn something and bits and bobs tend to go black with flames an' smoke an’ stuff.

.....chairman of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, was concerned for safety as more turbines of the same type are installed around the country.

Especially if they’re installed in windy areas I guess.

.......Chief Executive of English Heritage, said that wind turbines are “inappropriate” in certain parts of the English countryside, such as pretty areas with stone churches and houses in dingly dells.

Pretty much rules out everywhere but inner cities then.

In a speech to celebrate 100 years of fighting for national monuments around Britain he pledged to fight turbines......

Fight turbines? Seems they can be knocked out with relative ease.

........in important countryside.

That makes perfect sense.

Quote; Frank Barrett. 

“He tilted at windmills, but he knocked over a lot of them in a variety of fields.”