CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — More information has been released regarding the damage caused after lightning struck a wind turbine at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation‘s Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach on Monday.
Some Chesapeake Bay Foundation staff members were inside the building when lightning struck the wind turbine, but they said it wasn’t until people called them from nearby restaurants that they realized it was on fire.
“Ironically, nature made it happen and nature put it out because it started torrential downpour, and that is ultimately what put the fire out,” said Brock Environmental Center General Manager Chris Gorri.
Gorri said the center was closed Monday for Memorial Day, but they did have some staff there to plant some oysters. The Brock Environmental Center houses programs for local students and is also the home of various restoration efforts they have underway to save the bay.
Gorri said being able to diversify how they create clean energy is important to them, so they rely on solar and wind to produce energy for the center.
“30% of the energy comes from wind and 70% comes from 168 solar panels on the roof,” said Gorri.
The building didn’t lose power when lightning struck the turbine and all of their safety features functioned properly, Gorri said. They likely won’t need to replace the 70-foot tall pole, but until they can get a climber up to the top, Gorri said, they are unsure about the extent of the damage.
“At this point now we just need to get their team here from the manufacturer and the climbers up there to fully assess, to actually see what needs to be replaced, what is salvageable, what’s not salvageable, and then come up with a plan to move forward,” said Gorri.
While they are sad that this happened to one of their turbines, Gorri said they’re thankful no one was hurt.
They’ve taped off the area for now, just as a precaution, but the center is back open to the public and the Pleasure House Point Natural Area is accessible for families to enjoy!
“We’re really grateful to the community at large because they really have embraced us and are really concerned about the building and concerned about us and our efforts,” said Gorri.
It will likely take some time before the wind turbine is fixed and they aren’t sure how they’re going to pay for it just yet, Gorri said.
For more information on the Chesapeake bay foundation’s mission, click here.
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