Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
A couple of years earlier, the Folkecenter initiated a WTG-
project, building on the philosophy of local and clean energy
supply, delivered by local technology, and controlled by local
democracy. Practically speaking, the project should end up in a
WTG-technology, which could be owned by local groups or
individuals and manufactured and installed by local blacksmiths.
This philosophy was partly workable, because assembly and
installation as well as building foundation and infrastructure can
be managed locally. Also quite a lot of parts can be used, which are
low technology. Many of the parts in a modern WTG are either large
or complicated—such as generator, gear, control system, and even
the tower. This means that feasible manufacturing takes minimum
quantities, and therefore also major investments, which is not
possible or afordable for most local blacksmiths. Therefore
cooperation was necessary, and was organised by the Folkecenter.
There was formed a national group of blacksmiths who should
be able to cooperate in a certain degree of specialising and in
purchasing of such parts, which they could not manufacture by
themselves.
The project was a success, and resulted in developing a 00 kW
WTG with an integrated gearbox. Several units were installed in
local Danish societies, and also in California. But cooperation
became tough, because local blacksmiths are individualists with
many ideas, which might not fit to the ideas in the next village.
At the same time, increasing the size of the WTG was on demand,
and Preben realised that someone else should be in charge of
commercialising this major development work, which had been
done by the Folkecenter.
11.3
Founding Vind-Syssel
“Hedelund” is the name of the restaurant in Brønderslev, where
we used to have all kinds of meetings in my “former life”, so why
not use this home feeling place for the founding meeting in our
new WTG manufacturing cooperation.
At first I told Preben “no thanks”. I considered a one-year's
travel around the world, and I had also other options in teaching
or engineering jobs within ecology and renewable energy. But
Preben was never a good listener, especially not when it was
something he did not want to hear. First he invited me to an
Search WWH ::
Custom Search