Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the engineers from the FLS epoch, who might have transferred his
experience, either did not recognise the scope of Juul's achievements
or they were engaged in quite diferent activities in various institutes
or the industry.
Among energy researchers, the belief in nuclear energy was far
stronger than their belief in a future for wind energy, at least in the
technology that carried J. Juul's name. He did not in any way belong
to the establishment of research or industry; he was a practitioner,
a kind of James Watt or Rudolf Diesel, who was able to make things
work. We do not find serious interest either in J. Juul's wind turbine
concept in the many official projects that materialised in the United
States, England, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark
after the 1974 oil crisis.
7.8.2
Windmill Pioneer Christian Riisager
The honour of rediscovering J. Juul's unique technical results and
turning them into practice belongs to Christian Riisager (1930-
2008). J. Juul's extremely elaborate and clear-cut descriptions of his
wind turbines in an UN conference report were a kind of construction
manuals which demonstrated and illustrated his design in a most
educational manner.
In this way it was plain sailing for practical people like blacksmith
Erik Nielsen and Christian Riisager, whose son was, it has been told,
in the air force and could translate English texts, at that time when
the wind turbine was conceived. Riisager and his son are likely to
have studied the J. Juul's papers together. But as everybody else at
the time, they failed to note that Juul had ensured his windmills
against damage and runaway by using tip brakes on the blades.
Riisager deserves particular mention, as without him, perhaps
the hurdles of the first difficult years might not have been passed.
In fact, he made a very good start. In 1976, together with master
blacksmith Erik Nielsen from Herning, he installed two 22 kW
windmills for journalist Torgny Møller at Vrinners Hoved, Mols, and
teacher Karsten Fritzner in Boddum, Thy.
Both sites had good wind conditions. As both windmills
turned out reliable, and with a high production figures, Riisager
became famous. People came from near and far, to see these two
wind turbines. They were perceived as technological miracles.
This was still only a few years after the oil crisis in 1974, the
greatest national Danish disaster since the Second World War.
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