Do wind turbines shed ice?
When the turbine is operating, condensation on the blades is subject to considerable centrifugal force, and so ice rarely builds up on turbine blades. Any ice that might form on the blade of an operating turbine will tend to be in thin sheets that fall near the base of the turbine tower. If a large enough amount of ice forms on the turbine while it is operating, the turbine’s automatic controls will cause it to slow and then shut down. Ice generally forms on wind turbine blades when the turbine is shut down, and ice is removed before the start up of the turbine. Click on the links to see what South Bay Insurance and Fox Insurance have to say about wind turbines and ice. (These letters are also posted on the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Wind Energy Toolkit).
