Influence of meteorological conditions on wind turbine failure: A review with updated data application

Wind turbines are subject to continuous component degradation due to harsh environmental conditions. As a result, turbines experience a gradual reduction of operation capabilities or even failure when degradation reaches a critical point. Although such events usually occur gradually, they can escalate rapidly and end in catastrophic failure. Understanding which environmental phenomena strain which components is crucial for preventing failures and for identifying design weaknesses to pursue targeted system development. This study presents key findings regarding failure-inducing meteorological conditions based on existing research. Moreover, it supplements the findings by conducting a root-cause analysis of failed turbines using a model, focusing solely on environmental conditions. For this, new data from 20-30 turbines that were recently commissioned were used. The results indicate that high wind speeds, when combined with misalignment between the nacelle and wind direction, can excite vibrations and lateral sway in the turbine structure. These oscillations can increase the risk of structural damage over time, in components such as the tower, if they unexpectedly occur near the tower’s natural frequencies.