Risk of Forest Fire

Some people are surprised to learn that industrial wind turbines can catch fire. They can and they do.

The potential for a fire always exists when electronics, flammable oils and hydraulic fluids exist in the same enclosure as moving parts that generate friction heat. Electrical fires can also result from both shorts in equipment and surges due to lightning strikes.

Given the remote nature of Bowers Mountain, a turbine fire could be catastrophic to the surrounding area. Up until now, turbines have typically been sited in deserts and open fields wher access is easy and damage can be contained to a small area. But Bowers Mountain is heavily wooded. Erecting these turbines in heavily wooded areas, particularly in areas that rely on volunteer fire departments, shows a reckless disregard for public safety.

Once a turbine is on fire, little can be done from a traditional fire-fighting perspective. Because these industrial complexes are not manned, fires are not immediately detected. Typically the fire will start in the nacelle (the box on top of the tower, to which the blades are attached) because thet's where the electronics and petroleum-based lubricants are. Initially, a fire in the nacelle will be concealed, only the smoke will be visible. Since turbines have multiple openings to allow air circulation, the fire can quickly escalate. Even if the fire is detected promptly and reported immediately, it will take the fire department a long time to reach turbines on Bowers Mountain. Even if emergency personnel arrived promptly, the fire and its fuel are on top of a 300' tall tower. Generally turbine fires are allowed to burn themselves out.


But what would happen under less than ideal circumstances? Suppose the fire starts at night and goes unnoticed until flames are actually visible? Suppose it isn't reported promptly? Or maybe the fire department is delayed because their cell phone and radio signals are compromised by the wind turbines themselves? What happens when the fire spreads beyond the nacelle to the turbine blades and molten composite material is flung into the surrounding woods?

The Maine Forest Service is responsible for protecting Maine’s forests from wildfire. When air support is required to battle a fire, they would normally call on their fleet of Vietnam-era Huey helicopters to deliver lake water to the fire. But what about a fire that's surrounded by 400' to 500' tall wind turbines? Although the wind turbines don't create wind, they do create turbulence. The votex created by a single 1.5mw turbine is equal to that created by a 747 jumbo jet. The turbulence present in a multi-turbine wind facility would be deadly to helicopters. The Forest Service will probably have to depend on their limited number of fixed wing aircraft to fight a forest fire near the Bowers Mountain wind facility.