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few problems, considering that it was a prototype. The windmill
was sturdy, with high mechanical safety factors. But unfortunately
it made too much noise. The otherwise robust British Fenner gear,
mounted on the main shaft, was not well suited for a windmill, and
for that reason it was not used for the next version.
Like other windmills at that time it did not have air brakes to
prevent runaways in case the mechanical brake failed. In that area
we sinned against the dogma of Juul, which caused the Fjendbo
family to feel uncomfortable about having the windmill operating
during the nights, when the gales swept over Thy.
Even before the prototype was sufficiently tested, the HP
Maskinfabrik began to sell the wind turbine, bypassing the NIVE
group, which caused some complications, but it made no real
diference. The foundation had been laid for something which
aimed further than at one single small enterprise in Thisted,
which had, by the way, done excellent work and had also been
paid for it.
Figure 7.20
Nacelle of the NIVE 22 kW prototype, 1976. Wind turbine
characteristics: Asynchronous generator, upwind, fibreglass,
fixed hub, stall regulated, electric yaw (left); Cover of the
NIVE brochure about windmills from 1977 (right).
The vision was that there should be free access to professional
know-how about construction with SMEs as key players. The wind
belongs to all of us. The knowledge of how to utilise it should also be
available to the people. And during the following 15 years this came
true through a wide range of public domain constructions from
NIVE and since 1983 from the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy,
for which public domain design became a core activity.
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