Wind Turbine Fire Reality January 11, 2009
Posted by shawnpci in Fire Systems.Tags: Protex Central, wind turbines
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One of my favorite definitions of a “low” fire hazard is: “A concrete vault, six feet under water.” By that definition, wind turbines could be considered fire hazards: they’re neither concrete nor six feet under water.
A quick look around the internet yields many a reference to wind turbine fires. Check out some of these links:
Bloomfield, NE wind turbine fire story and video
Bloomfield, NE wind turbine aftermath
Spanish wind turbine fire video
Palm Springs, CA wind turbine fire video
I’ve been on a bit of a cause of late, like Don Quixote, to find a willing participant in the wind industry that’s interested in fire protection for wind turbines.
I’ve made a couple of stabs with the energy companies and a manufacturer, but my inquiries have fallen on deaf ears. I actually had the opportunity to climb two towers and tour the interior of the nacelles (the box that can burn on top of the 210′ stick – see photo of what once was a nacelle above).
I’ve developed solutions for both fire suppression as well as fire detection in these hazard areas. I’m looking for an opportunity to promote them to the industry.
So, if you know of a good contact that I can trot off to see, drop me a line at shawn.mullen@protexcentral.net. Or if you’ve got other good references of wind turbine fire hazards, pass them along, too. TX!
Onward and Upward 
Excellent site, keep up the good work