Diagnosing the cause of a turbine’s problem may be the most difficult part of addressing the problem. Sometimes the component where symptoms appear may be separate from what’s actually causing the problem. (Note that this article addresses problems specific to permanent magnet based turbines only.)
Example Symptoms & Their Causes
SYMPTOM: Noisy blades.
PROBLEM: The machine is overspeeding (blades spinning too fast) due to an electrical problem.
SYMPTOM: The tail shakes and comes loose.
PROBLEM: The blades are out of balance.
SYMPTOM: Low power output.
PROBLEM: The tail is furling at too-low wind speeds.
