FMEA - Components

Fragility Begs Failure

“Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a structured, systematic method used to identify how a process, product, or system might fail, why it might fail, and what the consequences of those failures would be. The goal is simple: find weaknesses before they become real problems, prioritize them, and implement actions that reduce risk.”, Microsoft Copilot

Solar and wind generator manufacturers and developers are currently conducting Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) on large industrial solar and wind installations in the field. This is a very expensive way to conduct FMEA and has the potential for significant adverse impact on utility power grids.

Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSO) in March, 2026 sustained major damage to its Dunns Bridge I & II solar installations, including solar collector destruction, mounting infrastructure structural failure and solar tracking systems damage. The damage appears to have been caused by a combination of hail and a tornado. While the hail damage might have been avoided by more robust collector design and rotation of the collectors to protect the front glass, it is unlikely that any reasonable design approach could have avoided the tornado damage. The damage effectively destroyed the entire 700 MW solar installations, at an estimated cost of $140 million. The storm scattered debris over the solar field and adjacent land, which will require extensive cleanup efforts at significant additional cost. Other solar installations in tornado and hail prone areas have experienced similar but generally less extensive damage.

Several South Dakota wind turbine installations experienced major damage in late June 2026 as the result of exposure to wind speeds in excess of 100 mph. The winds caused extensive blade damage, but also resulted in the deformation and collapse of multiple turbine mounting towers.

Several wind turbines in various locations have also experienced lightning strikes which have caused blade and turbine fires. Others have experienced fires resulting from internal electrical system failures or oil leaks. These fires are especially troublesome because the wind turbines are mounted several hundred feet high and are beyond the range of most fire fighting equipment. Firefighters are only able to address ground fires caused by fallen burning debris to avoid fire spread to adjacent grasses and field crops.

The Vineyard Wind offshore wind field experienced a blade failure in July 2024 which spread a debris field across the ocean beneath the turbine and onto adjacent beaches, requiring a major cleanup effort. The blade failure was caused by a manufacturing defect attributed to an adhesive bonding failure. Numerous other blades produced in the same production batch were also replaced to avoid additional failures and cleanup efforts. Arguably, this failure could have been avoided by appropriate quality control during blade fabrication.

Perhaps the most glaring example of FEMA failure is the numerous fires in grid scale battery storage facilities, caused not by extreme weather events, but rather by internal failures in the batteries caused by coolant leakage and overheated electrical connections. Both failure modes are predictable and avoidable and their effects are devastating, including air pollution from the fires and soil pollution from battery explosions and from contamination transported by the water used to extinguish the fires.

Originally published here.