What happens when wind turbines break?

Aerial view of the Vineyard Wind turbine failure taken 8/1/24. Source: Cape Cod Times (3)

On July 13, 2024, the Vineyard offshore Windfarm located in Massachusetts had a 350-foot turbine blade snap (1), releasing debris into the ocean. The debris, composed of mainly fiberglass and plastics, raised environmental concerns. While such turbine failures are infrequent, they typically occur in the blade mechanisms. Reasons for failure include manufacturing defects, adhesive joint degradation, trailing edge failure, or other specific causes. Most previous failures do not lead to catastrophic breaks but instead less efficient power yields.

In an amendment (5) to the project's Construction and Operations Plan the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) required Vineyard to remove and inspect all blades that had been manufactured at the same facility before the project could begin operating again. For an in depth look at the blade break and the impacts to the community in Massachusetts read this article. (6)

To prevent failures in the future, offshore turbines are equipped with alarm systems that utilize sensors to detect vibrations and other issues, allowing operators to quickly shut down and analyze potential issues.

The National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) are conducting research to innovate offshore turbine controls (2) which will reduce structural loads, limit platform motion, and increase reliability for floating turbines. At the same time, manufactures are pushing to increase the size boundaries for offshore wind turbines. As turbine designs increase (4) in scale, so does the risk of mechanical failure. Prototype testing continues to become increasingly more critical to ensure structural integrity to prevent future catastrophic failures.

References​

1. Lennon, A. E. (2024, December 13). Why did Vineyard Wind’s turbine blade fail? The New Bedford Light. https://newbedfordlight.org/why-did-vineyard-winds-turbine-blade-fail/ 

2. Wind Turbine Control Systems. NREL. (2025, February). https://www.nrel.gov/wind/controls-analysis

3. Heaslip, S. (2025, March). Photos. an airplane view of the Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade that broke apart. Cape Cod Times. https://www.capecodtimes.com/picture-gallery/news/2024/08/02/vineyard-wind-turbine-blade-photos/74641812007/

4. Wind Turbines: the Bigger, the Better. Energy.gov. (2024b, August 21). https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/wind-turbines-bigger-better#:~:text=Hub%20Height,A%20wind%20turbine’s&text=That’s%20taller%20than%20the%20Statue,the%20Washington%20Monument%2C%20in%202035.

5. BOEM’s Approval Letter for Vineyard Wind 1, with the amended Approval Conditions (Jan. 17, 2025) available at https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/VW1-Blade-Removal-COP-Revision-Approval-Letter.pdf

6. Burnham, G. (2025, August 25). When the blade breaks: The Vineyard Wind blade break and the future of wind power. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/features/760555/vineyard-wind-turbine-blade-break-nantucket