Sometime before the Christmas holiday last year, “high winds” caused a part of one of the wind turbines mounted to the top of downtown Houston’s Hess Tower to “detach” from its mounting point. “Two pieces of the debris fell to the street. Nobody was injured,” Hess Corporation spokesperson Mari Pat Sexton tells Swamplot today. Sexton had no comment on circulating rumors that one or more of the the pieces struck a car on the street.
The incident helps explain why the whirling turbines, installed as a featured element at the top of the new 29-story tower last summer, have been silent since mid-December. In the photo above, taken by a HAIF commenter shortly before Christmas, the turbines appear to be missing. “After the event occurred, (the turbines) were locked down,” Sexton says, adding she is unaware of the turbines’ current status or whether there are plans to replace them. “The building is still under construction.”
The Gold LEED certified skyscraper, named Discovery Tower until Hess signed on to lease the whole thing 2 years ago, sits at the northern edge of Discovery Green, a short walk from Minute Maid Park. It was developed by Trammell Crow, designed by Gensler, is the thirtieth-tallest building in Houston, and was the first in town to feature — and draw some power from — wind turbines. Here’s how they looked (and sounded) last year, before the incident:
***
- Hess Tower coverage [Swamplot]
- Previously on Swamplot: Kiddie Party on the Plaza: A Discovery Tower Construction Update, Hess It Is: Discovery Tower All Leased Up, Discovery Tower: Yep, They Are Wind Turbines
Photo: HAIF user ricco67. Video: Jackson Myers
Thanks for posting my video. I don’t believe you could hear any sounds from the turbines. The sounds you hear are from the wind, traffic and people at Discovery green.
well it would appear there’s lots of wind up there for harvesting!
Just goes to show you that there’s no substitute for coal-fired electricity.
Yeah, coal is great, unless you like pecan trees, eating fish, keeping kids with asthma out of the emergency room during the summer, having 12 miner get killed in a single mining accident, Appalaichan montain streams that are not filled with mine waste, and all kinds of particulates in the air, slowly ripping your cardio-vascular system apart.
I’m confused, does this mean we don’t burn any coal now …. because my pecan tree still looks fine. Continuing to use coal as a fuel is unavoidable in the near term. We undoubtedly need to do a better job of using it in an environmentally responsible way but we do still need to use it.
@Jackson- Whatever the source of the sound was, what I noticed in your video was the Beautiful capture of the clouds reflected on the skin of the building…..nice!
And the building is lovely modern addition to our skyline – not like that faux frenchie apartment nonsense next to it.
The rebel fleet was unsuccessful this time, it was a trap.
Your pecan tree may look fine, but pecan farmers in Texas have claimed that pollution from coal fired power plants is ruining their pecan trees.
‘From Jimbo:
I’m confused, does this mean we don’t burn any coal now …. because my pecan tree still looks fine.’
It takes many, many years for a Pecan tree to die. Given the prevailing winds in this area you might just luck out.
Downwind from the Fayetteville plant, they are out of luck.
Your pecan tree may look fine, but pecan farmers in Texas have claimed that pollution from coal fired power plants is ruining their pecan trees.
Has the price of pecans risen significantly?
Does anyone have any update sources on the turbine situatio? I’ve serched web with noe luck. I can’t believe they’d be done awawy with for good. On second thought: I still think TM caved because Hess leased the whole building and did away with them for them. Hess, like Exxon, hardly the Renaissance company.
I read that there was no guarantee that the turbines wouldn’t fall off the building so the idea has been shelved.
The lease must be ridiculous for a sales price like that. Rule of thumb says 1/15th the purchase price for leasing. $35/sqft/year to lease? Yowza. $20-25 is the norm.
Now, I’d be willing to bet that they got a fair amount of ‘points’ to obtained the LEED GOLD certification for having working turbines. I wonder if they would really even still qualify for that high standard now that they are not working. Once the incident happened, they never intended to replace them, nor did they pursue any ways to otherwise ‘self-power’ or offset the carbon footprint that must have doubled without providing clean power.
@Alan – do some homework on Hess. They have done amazing things around the globe for the countries where they do business. Also – from what I know – Hess wanted for them to find a workable solution, even trying to find other methods of generating their own power to keep the LEED Gold certification.