Solar farms are subject to the hazards of extreme weather, including hailstorms that can cause extensive, costly damage. Among the many severe incidents, hailstorms were responsible for over $300 million in damage to solar fields in Texas in the summer of 2022. When large-scale losses like these...
Solar power is on the rise, driven by climate change concerns and the transition to renewable energy. The Solar Energy Industries Association estimates there are now over 219 gigawatts of solar capacity installed across the US, with deployments increasing at an average annual growth rate of 26%...
When critical systems like turbines, compressors, or boilers fail, the fallout can be catastrophic—escalating costs, operational disruptions, and even legal implications. At EDT, we specialize in uncovering the root causes of these failures, helping insurance professionals, attorneys, and facility...
As the renewable energy sector continues to grow, wind turbines remain a central pillar of the industry. However, behind their towering blades and energy production is a complex mechanical system that can be prone to failure. As a forensic engineer, I’ve spent much of my career studying the failures...
If a transformer sample shows that gases are present within the oil, is the transformer damaged?”. Key gases are defined as gases generated in oil-filled transformers that can be used for qualitative determination of fault types, based on what gases are typical or predominant at various temperatures...
A while back, I was lucky enough to drive the full length of the Columbia River Gorge on a crisp spring morning. For those of you not familiar with this iconic geographical area, it is beyond bucket list worthy. Cut into the Cascade Mountains by the Columbia River and located just east of Portland...
Geothermal power pulls hot water from deep within the earth to heat and vaporize a fluid that is then used to drive a turbine-generator. In this post, we discuss a case study and solution related to a vaporizer tube leakage at a geothermal energy plant.
