Environmental Engineering Reference
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8.2
Learning by Doing
It was clear to me that many self builders establishing wind
turbines did not know much about aerodynamics. I possessed some
knowledge of aerodynamics from my years designing and building
model airplanes and my later glider plane training. So I thought
why not start producing wind turbine blades? I had never worked
with fibreglass design or production, but at the beginning I
received great help from the “Vestjysk Energikontor” at the Tvind
Schools. Prior to building the blades for the big turbine, Tvind
learned working with fibreglass by building blades for a small
15 kW turbine, and some fishing boats. Already back in 1957
German wind pioneer Professor Ulrich Hütter of Stuttgart
designed and built an elegant 100 kW wind turbine with fibreglass
blades. In 1976, Tvind learned and incorporated this design in
the Tvind turbine's blade design, for the small blades, as well as
for the megawatt blades.
Figure 8.3
Svend Adolphsen 11 kW prototype (1977) carrying my 4.5 m
blades.
In summer 1977, aged 28, I decided to begin a production
of rotor blades. After some time experimenting with laminated
wood, I learned that a group of five individuals at Fouslet, in
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