Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!sun!amdahl!ems From: ems@amdahl.UUCP (Edward Michael Smith) Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: Info needed: windmills for private electricity generation Message-ID: <472@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 7-Nov-84 13:04:48 EST Article-I.D.: amdahl.472 Posted: Wed Nov 7 13:04:48 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 8-Nov-84 19:21:04 EST References: <136@logico.UUCP> Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 48 > I live in a mountain pass which routinely get 20-30 m.p.h. winds every > there are a lot of variables I still do not know about. How much money > will get you how much power? Who makes them? Can I make my own, from > scratch, or from a kit? What kind of efficiencies are possible and > practical? I found the book! Title: The Mother Earth News Handbook of Homemade Power (c) 1974 by John Shuttleworth, publisher: Bantam Books $1.95 (in 1974...) This is a non-technical introduction to doing it yourself on a shoestring budget. It does also list some manufactures names. It is a bit dated... You can make your own, either from scratch or from a kit. It would not be in the high performance range of the comercial products. High efficiency is about 70% with 40-50% being more typical. With the wind you have, efficiency should not be a problem. Theoretical energy captured by a 70% efficient wind mill at 25 mph is 300 watts for a four foot diameter, 2.6 kilowatts for a 12 foot unit. Some vendors: Henry Clews' Solar Wind Company RFD 2 East Holden, Maine 04429 Has a catalog available for some fee ($2 in 1974) that includes Australian and Swiss units. Dyna Technology, Inc. Box 3263 Sioux City, Iowa 51102 Bucknell Engineering Company 10717 East Rush Street South El Monte, Ca. 91733 Supposedly these folks only make small units. I know that large ones are made. If anyone needs info on them, I still have a few brochures from the last tax season that I could dig out for an address. (In California, at least, there has been a flurry of 'tax advantaged wind investments'). You could ask your tax advisor if they have any... I would like to be included in the distribution for any other info. -- E. Michael Smith ...!{hplabs,ihnp4,amd,nsc}!amdahl!ems The opinions expressed by me are not necessarily those of anyone. (And certainly not of Amdahl, any lawyers, and all the ships at sea.)