| A new commercial or industrial wind turbine ought | | | | you to dangerous conditions or potential problems. |
| to require little or no maintenance. Manufacturers | | | | Depending on your tower's design and |
| construct twenty-first century wind turbine blades | | | | construction, you may have to check handholds |
| from composite materials, so that they will not | | | | and footsteps as you climb, repairing or correcting |
| corrode or require replacement; new blades ought | | | | defects with nearly every step. As you climb, |
| to withstand even torturous conditions with little | | | | focus on your next move; do not look all the way |
| or no routine care. Similarly, reliable wind turbine | | | | to the tower's top, and steadfastly resist the |
| builders fashion the latest generation of nacelles | | | | urge to look down. Your brain and body can |
| from rustproof or rust resistant alloys and | | | | imagine you are on solid ground if you control |
| powder coat the units for maximum durability; the | | | | where you direct your sight. When you reach the |
| units seal tightly, protecting the working parts | | | | tower's top, stay focused on the maintenance |
| inside. And, as with most major machinery, an | | | | tasks you must perform. Unless you know your |
| ordinary wind turbine user will find no | | | | capacities and limits, and unless you have a great |
| user-serviceable parts inside the nacelle. If the unit | | | | deal of climbing experience, you should resist the |
| fails, it will require professional service. Even with | | | | nearly overwhelming urge to take-in the view |
| all these features designed and guaranteed to | | | | from up there. And, as you descend, resist the |
| keep your wind turbine running smoothly and | | | | temptation to slide or rappel down the tower; for |
| reliably, the system still requires routine | | | | most climbers, coming down is tougher than going |
| maintenance. | | | | up. |
| Tower Safety: paramount in wind turbine | | | | Take care of yourself up there. |
| maintenance | | | | The higher you climb, the more you expose |
| While you plan and prepare for your wind turbine's | | | | yourself to the elements. Everything that |
| installation, take a course in and practice wind | | | | persuaded you to mount your wind turbine way |
| tower safety, because the majority of serious | | | | up in the air is everything that poses a safety |
| wind turbine injuries result from climbing accidents. | | | | risk. The wind blows harder and more steadily up |
| Always, as in always always, remember to take | | | | there than it does on the ground, so the chill |
| your first and most important safety precaution | | | | factor intensifies. Even if your routine maintenance |
| before you strap on your safety harness belt and | | | | requires relatively delicate work with nuts, bolts, |
| take your first step up the tower: Shutdown the | | | | caps, and wires, protect your hands from cold...or |
| turbine and furl the blades before you ascend. If | | | | heat. In the winter, frostbite can set-in within just |
| you leave the machine running, a sudden shift in | | | | a few minutes of removing your gloves. Use |
| the wind's direction can spin the blades right into | | | | gloves with clips if it's cold so won't drop them. No |
| you, slicing and dicing you as if you were so much | | | | matter what season you climb the tower, make |
| meat and cheese for a chef's salad. | | | | sure you stay hydrated, because dehydration |
| Invest in good fall protection equipment, especially | | | | mimics intoxication. Also, make sure you stay |
| including a good helmet. Although good safety | | | | nourished, because a sugar lull will affect your |
| harness will break your fall and protect most of | | | | concentration, balance, and coordination. |
| your body, it will do nothing to keep your scull and | | | | Yes, every windsmith has more than a little |
| brains intact. Rather than shopping for a hardhat, | | | | cowboy in him, and the guys in the crew |
| look at helmets for rock climbing or | | | | compete fiercely to see who emerges as "the |
| mountaineering, because they will have the design | | | | alpha dog." Know both your body's limits and the |
| features you need. Put simply, a hard hat will fall | | | | limits of your luck. Sometimes, routine wind |
| off easily as they don't generally have chin straps. | | | | turbine maintenance does require calculated risk; it |
| Getting ready to climb, remember to check your | | | | never requires recklessness. |
| lanyard and harness before you strap-in; and, | | | | Intuition taught you these fundamental Truths of |
| although it seems outrageously silly, make sure | | | | wind turbine maintenance before you even came |
| you strap-in correctly. | | | | on the job. While you do the job, use what you |
| As you climb, work with a "spotter" who can alert | | | | know. |