Lifts take cooperative wind techs to the top

Imagine climbing a vertical ladder that’s 262-feet high, just to start your job. That’s what the wind technicians at the PrairieWinds ND 1 and PrairieWinds SD 1 projects have been doing to maintain 188 turbines, until now. The turbines in the projects near Minot, ND, and White Lake, SD, are fitted with service lifts, which transport technicians to the top of the turbine, functioning like a small elevator.

Watch the video to get a peek inside the little lift from the perspective of 5-foot, 4.5-inch-tall writer, Erin Huntimer; then see 6-foot-5-inch-tall wind technician, Brad Schneider, demonstrate how to use it.