Arc Flash Incident in Wind Turbine: Copyright Material IEEE Paper No. ESW2021-21

Operation and maintenance of wind turbines present unique electrical safety challenges including: restricted work areas around electrical equipment, work carried out at heights, buildup of static electricity on fiberglass blades, risk of lightning strike hazards, and specialized emergency response skills for incidents in the nacelle. This case study reviews an arc flash incident in a 660kW turbine, triggered by routine cleaning around electrical gear down tower, that resulted significant damage to the electrical equipment as well as stranding a worker on the roof of the nacelle. The incident resulted in changes to safety practices.