Up close (and up high!) at a wind farm

FOWLER, Ind. (WLFI) - Drivers traveling through Benton County see dozens of wind turbines dotting the landscape. Few, however, get to see the big towers up close.

News Channel 18 visited Vestas, the company that maintains the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm to bring you a closer look at the machines that harvest energy from Indiana's breezes.

Though the turbines are spread across the landscape, they are still centrally monitored. Site manager Glenn Marlow keeps tabs on each of the turbines from a computer at his desk.

That doesn't mean crews don't get a workout.

"There's a scheduled maintenance routine. Three months after they are installed, we do system maintenance on them," said Marlow. "Then every six months for the life cycle of the turbine."

Service Technicians Daman Hartwick and Gerald Parker said working on a wind farm is like working in a factory, except that most of the maintenance can't be done at ground level. Crews have to travel 268 feet up a ladder attached to each turbine. They troubleshoot from the computer, then scale the towers to do maintenance.

It's no breeze maneuvering at the top. The workers wear safety harnesses that are tied on at all times. It's especially important as they climb out on the nose.

"There's a hatch that opens up there. You open up to access the hub. You have to slide in there. There's plenty of room, for two or three people to work there," said Parker.

Hartwick said the climb isn't without its perks, however.

"The view from up top is pretty amazing," he said.

Crews were able to hoist News Channel 18's camera up through the hatch. This is the same way crews get they equipment and tools to the top.

The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is one of the biggest in the state, but Marlow said the area could attract even more. That's a good thing: the more turbines to maintain, the more jobs for Indiana.

Vestas has its headquarters in Denmark, with wind turbines all over the world. In thier Fowler office, 28 employees maintain 182 wind turbines.