After several months wait for conditions of zero wind, we were finally able to change the community wind turbine blades in July.
The old blades were found to be seriously worn on the leading edges and we believe that it was this that was the cause of a chopping noise that was audible in very high winds.
The new blades were supplied by Bergey and are a new design with stainless steel leading edges, which are far more resistant to wear.
The
new blades appear to be quieter already and the tail end of Hurricane Bertha that passed through on Sunday 10th August saw very high winds without the nuisance noise. We are continuing to plan additional measures that will increase the efficiency of the turbine, including looking at using surplus energy to heat nearby houses when local grid conditions do not allow all the electricity, which can be generated, to enter the grid.
Please note also that the monitoring site for the turbine has now changed to: http://mybergey.aprsworld.com/A3684
Pennine Community Power 
