Wind Energy Generation: The Answer Is Blowin’ in the Wind

By James B. Dekorne
Published on November 1, 1973
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The wind generator, which generates electricity from moving air, is the device on the left. The wind pump, which pulls water from underground, is on the right.
The wind generator, which generates electricity from moving air, is the device on the left. The wind pump, which pulls water from underground, is on the right.
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Instruction manual for a 200w wind generator formerly made by Wincharger.
Instruction manual for a 200w wind generator formerly made by Wincharger.
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The only way to get an old generator down is to climb its tower, strap yourself down, and remove each piece separately — prop, wind vane, and finally generator.
The only way to get an old generator down is to climb its tower, strap yourself down, and remove each piece separately — prop, wind vane, and finally generator.
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A misguided attempt to lower a generator to the ground while still mounted on its tower. Gravity asserted itself moments after this photo was taken, destroying the unit on impact.
A misguided attempt to lower a generator to the ground while still mounted on its tower. Gravity asserted itself moments after this photo was taken, destroying the unit on impact.
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The complete wiring diagram for a Wincharger model 1187, reproduced from an old Wincharger manual.
The complete wiring diagram for a Wincharger model 1187, reproduced from an old Wincharger manual.
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Design for a wind generator tower made from an old telephone pole.
Design for a wind generator tower made from an old telephone pole.
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Design for a homemade brace from which to hang a block and tackle when removing a propeller, vane, and generator and lowering them to the ground.
Design for a homemade brace from which to hang a block and tackle when removing a propeller, vane, and generator and lowering them to the ground.
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The author testing a crude propeller hacked in a few minutes from an old 2 X 4.
The author testing a crude propeller hacked in a few minutes from an old 2 X 4.
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Gould Inc offered a 32v battery consisting of sixteen 2v cells connected in series. Exide, Delco and others offered similar units.
Gould Inc offered a 32v battery consisting of sixteen 2v cells connected in series. Exide, Delco and others offered similar units.
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Schematic diagram for a control box, which really amounts to an anti-motor device and protection from lightning.
Schematic diagram for a control box, which really amounts to an anti-motor device and protection from lightning.
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Control box for an old wind generator.
Control box for an old wind generator.
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Drawings of a design by New Paltz College instructor Eugene Eccli that use an automobile differential to translate the propeller's horizontal rotation into vertical rotation.  
Drawings of a design by New Paltz College instructor Eugene Eccli that use an automobile differential to translate the propeller's horizontal rotation into vertical rotation.  
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An experimental wind pump made from 55-gallon drum halves.
An experimental wind pump made from 55-gallon drum halves.
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Hans Meyer's design for a homemade wind generator.
Hans Meyer's design for a homemade wind generator.
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The wheel, drive belt, and alternator of the Eccli generator, located at ground level.
The wheel, drive belt, and alternator of the Eccli generator, located at ground level.

A little over a year ago, I wrote a short article for Organic Gardening and Farming magazine. In that piece, I described our life on a small New Mexico homestead … and how we planned to utilize non-polluting sources of energy such as methane gas, solar heating, and wind generators.

The response to the article was nothing short of amazing. I received correspondence from all over the United States, Canada, France, and the Philippines … and most letters requested further information about the alternate energy sources I had named.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that my optimistic enthusiasm for my subject was a bit naive and premature … I didn’t really know any more about alternative sources of energy than the folks who were requesting further information yet I was being regarded as an expert in the field!

I answered the letters as best I could, then set out to learn as much as possible about the subject … which has now become almost an obsession with me.Through the generosity of the Verde Valley School of Sedona, Arizona, I was able to make an 8,000-mile trip this spring with six students … a trip during which we traveled across America seeking out information from the people who were experts in alternate sources of energy. The story of that journey, and the information we gathered, will–we hope–soon be published as a book. Until then, I’d like to share with MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ readers some of the information we gathered about wind generators.

Nansen Was First

The first wind generator. as far as I’m able to discover, was built by the Arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen in 1894. Icebound in the polar sea, Nansen rigged up a Holland-type windmill to drive a dynamo which charged batteries. He was enjoying electric lights in the vicinity of the North Pole when the houses of New York and London were still illuminated with kerosene and gas.

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