THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

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(NOTE. Between the time this was written and press time, I received a most informative packet of information from Henry Clews' Solar Wind Company. Clews is the dealer for several models of high-wattage machines from Australia and Switzerland. Anyone even slightly interested in wind generators owes it to himself to send $1.00 to the Solar Wind Company, RFD 2, East Holden, Maine 04429, and request Henry's publication, Electric Power From the Wind. This pamphlet is probably the definitive guide to wind electric plants to date.)

Dyna Technology, Inc., Box 3263, Sioux City, Iowa 5 1102 now handles the only Wincharger still produced in the U.S.... a 200-watt machine which sells for around $400. The folks at that company were most helpful people, and kindly gave me permission to publish some of their literature. The 20-page instruction manual (Fig. 1) for their 200-watt unit is full of valuable information about wind generators in general.

If you need no more than 200 watts and aren't into budding your own generator, the Dyna Technology machine might be just what you need. Most of them are presently being sold in Latin America and the Pacific Islands for the purpose of charging radio batteries.

For three dollars, the Bucknell Engineering Co., 10717 East Rush St., South El Monte, California 91733, will sell you information about a 250-watt wind generator. They also offer the completed unit for $1,082.

Unless you have a lot more money than I do, such low-wattage new wind generators are out of the question. And, until someone goes into production on a high-wattage machine at a reasonable price, most people will have to buy a used unit or build their own.

USED WIND GENERATORS: WHERE THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY COST

Just about anywhere in the rural Great Plains States, wind generators were common sights on farms during the 1930's and 40's. When the REA finally strung its wires to these localities, the machines were often taken down and sold for scrap. Occasionally, however—after a lot of backroad driving, and many conversations with farmers old enough to remember them—one can still find a-few of these generators still standing. (Usually they weren't taken down because most folks aren't into the hair-raising job of working with upwards of 400 pounds of machinery while tied onto the top of a high tower ... an experience roughly analogous to removing an engine from an automobile at an altitude of 45 feet.

The two most common wind generators were the Wincharger and the Jacobs ... respectively the Chevrolet and Cadillac of homestead wind-electric plants. The Wincharger came in several models, from 6 to 110 volts and from 200 to 1,200 watts. The Jacobs, a much heavier machine, was built in 32- and 110-volt configurations and ranged from 1,500 to 3,000 watts. The 32-volt models of both makes were the most popular in their day, and of the two, Wincharger is the brand you're most likely to encounter now. The Jacobs is currently quite rare, but a real find if you turn one up in reasonably good condition.

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