Anthony Watts provides personal observations and summarizes others regarding operations and maintenance of wind turbines. John Shanahan made similar observations at some of the same locations in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. All forms of generating electricity require maintenance. Because wind is one of the most dilute forms of energy, there is a lot more equipment to maintain. Because the maintenance work is at the top of wind turbine towers, in windy areas, it has its own set of risks. One characteristic of maintenance of wind turbines is that many times they go for months or years nonoperational, with uncertainty even to who is responsible for the maintenance.
