Severe weather advice for Scottish turbine owners

December 08, 2011

Update to severe weather advice for Scottish turbine owners

Gaia-Wind advises (9th December from 10.00 hours) that red warnings have been lifted and wind speeds are now at levels safe enough to restart turbines. This advice is based on Met Office weather warnings for 9th December. Please follow the steps described below to restart turbines. If you notice anything out of the ordinary or have any questions please contact Gaia-Wind on 0845 871 4242.

Severe weather advice to all Gaia-Wind turbine owners in Scotland.

The Met Office has today (8th December) issued a severe weather warning for high wind speeds in Scotland. It is a red warning calling to ‘take action’ and is one of the severest of its kind for the past several years. Based on this warning and if safe to do so, Gaia-Wind advises owners of its turbine in Scotland to put the turbine on the brake. This advice takes effect starting as soon as possible on Thursday 8 Dec 2011 until at least Friday 9 Dec 2011 10:00 hours.

The procedure to put the turbine on the brake is as follows;

STOPPING

To put the turbine on the brake

• Approach the control box and open the controller door
• On the electronic key pad; press the stop button
• Close the door and return to your property
• At the grid connection point, switch the main turbine isolator to the OFF position.

Alternatively

• As soon as you see that the turbine has stopped (for instance due to high winds)
• At the grid connection point, switch the main turbine isolator to the OFF position
• Please refer to section 6.2.1 of the user manual; ‘Auto shutdown due to high winds’

RESTARTING

Wait until at least 10:00 hours on Friday 8 December 2011. Visit our website or the Met Office web site to check that severe weather warning ‘Red Alert’ has been cancelled.

• Check whether the wind speeds are back to normal values (below10 m/s, 22 mph)
• Do a thorough visual check of the turbine, in accordance with the user manual section 7.1.1; Visual inspection after severe winds’. If you see anything out of the ordinary or are in doubt, contact Gaia-Wind immediately
• If all looks normal restart the turbine as per the User Manual
• Check whether the turbine starts and runs as normal. If you notice anything out of the ordinary or are in doubt, contact Gaia-Wind.

Please note that this advise is given, based on the Met Office Red Alert’s call for action and it is a precautionary action.

For any further advice please contact Gaia-Wind on 0845 871 4242.

Further Met Office weather advice can be found at www.metoffice.gov.uk.

With Kind Regards, Johnnie Andringa, CEO Gaia-Wind.