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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.)