John M. Thalmann's Wind Turbine

(Page 2 of 2)

January/February 1975
By the Mother Earth News editors 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

The advantages—on paper—go on and on. But does Thalmann's wind turbine really work? And, if it does, does it work well?

RELATED CONTENT

Yes, John's turbine really does work. That is: Thalmann has constructed a rotor that is 12 feet in diameter which, when mounted on the roof of a building, does turn in the wind. Someone—quite possibly a technician at Canada's Brace Research Institute—has calculated that this test machine produces 64.8 foot-pounds of gross torque in an air mass moving 30 mph and 115.2 foot-pounds of gross torque in one moving 40 mph. (For a Thalmann turbine that is 16 feet in diameter, the calculated gross torque is, respectively, 115.2 foot-pounds and 204.8 foot-pounds.) Since the blades of John's rotor offer very little resistance to the wind on the return half of each revolution, the net torque seems to be about 85% to 90% of these gross figures.

That sounds good, of course, but it's obvious that Thalmann still needs to hook his wind machine to a variety of workloads and test it under widely varying weather conditions. And wouldn't it be interesting to mount a heavier version of the Thalmann turbine right down in a steadily flowing river? Just to see what happens.

If you'd like to know more about John's work—and help to finance some future flights of fancy—you can write to John Thalmann, 318 North Sherman Street, Crown Point, Indiana 46307. And remember that John is your average impecunious inventor and not a well-funded research lab. Send a stamped, self-addressed large envelope along with your letter ... and stick in a buck or two. Thalmann will probably answer you with a letter and enough information about his experiments to make it all worthwhile.

Page: << Previous 1 | 2 |
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

Add Your Comment

Please note that there is currently a problem with the comments function and your comment may or may not post successfully. We are working to correct the problem and thank you for your patience. 

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Mother Earth News readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Mother Earth News?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.