Crisfield's wind turbine still in idle

Damage from lightning costing city up to $7,000 each month

Crisfield-Somerset County Times
Posted 11/6/21

CRISFIELD — Crisfield’s 750 kW wind turbine is now in its third month in idle with no date available when parts will be shipped from overseas.

According to Jason Loar, the city’s …

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Crisfield's wind turbine still in idle

Damage from lightning costing city up to $7,000 each month

Posted

CRISFIELD — Crisfield’s 750 kW wind turbine is now in its third month in idle with no date available when parts will be shipped from overseas.

According to Jason Loar, the city’s consulting engineer with Davis, Bowen & Friedel, the turbine was struck by lightning and stopped working in August. The operators that monitor the utility were getting error messages stating the problem was with the electrical grid, and was Delmarva Power’s responsibility.

But Delmarva Power “said ‘No,’ it’s not on our end,” Mr. Loar said, and an investigation by an electrician determined several capacitors and resistors “were fried.”

“These aren’t the kind of capacitors and resisters that you can go down to Radio Shack and get,” Mr. Loar said. They’re on order from a manufacturer in Germany, and as of his report last Wednesday to the Mayor and Council “they had not received a ship date.”


“We’re still waiting for a ship date,” he said.

The $4.2 million turbine was financed primarily through state grants and loans and was “turned on” mid-February 2017. It was designed to offset electricity needs at the wastewater treatment plant next door and by not turning it’s costing the city between $6,000 to $7,000 per month, said Clerk-Treasurer Joyce Morgan.

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