Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In the beginning Riisager was part of the company, so we find
these creations of his: the 22 kW 10S, the 30 kW 12S and the 55
kW 14S. The numeral before the S signifies the rotor diameter. But
we also find some interesting novelties: a small 7.5 kW Wind Matic
Folkemølle with LM blades aimed at the same market as the Thy
windmill described above.
However, the 1983 catalogue also marks the significant
transition to a conventional 55 kW windmill with three LM blades,
the evidence of the complete breakaway from Riisager. Wind
Matic now wanted to enter the market where Bonus, Nordtank and
Vestas had been ruling. And it was quite successful. They made as
well a 75 kW windmill and took part in the California boom.
During this process Wind Matic was sold to an American
developer, very imaginatively called “Electricity”. The rumour about
this was the major subject of a debate during a cruise on a luxury
yacht below the Golden Gate Bridge by San Francisco, where some
American businessmen had invited a Danish study group. I was the
leader of the group together with Steve Smiley from Michigan. The
Americans thought that we had Wind Matic people in the group,
which was not the case. But it turned out, however, that among
us we had the founding managing directors of future windmill
manufacturers such as WindWorld, Vind-Syssel, Dencon and
Wincon West, just to mention some of the people who must have
harvested much experience from this study tour.
When the cruise was over, everybody was confused, the Danes
and not less the Americans who absolutely got no share in the posh
repast. We got a sample of the notorious Californian “business ethics”
which also killed Wind Matic because their American partner was
unable to pay the millions of dollars owing to them, some told. After
the Californian experience the old Wind Matic gave up. The company
was reconstructed by one of the main creditors Alfred Priess from
a company in Vinderup with a long tradition in steel pylons and
substations, that took over Wind Matic.
Windmills of 150 kW to 200 kW with LM blades and a new
designed gearbox from the Jens Fisker Maskinfabrik were developed.
All of a sudden Danish industry was able to furnish Danish produced
gearboxes of a design which mostly smaller Danish windmill
manufacturers cooperating with the Folkecenter had used till then.
Only seven big Wind Matic windmills of the new generation were
made, and some of them had accidents. One was wrecked during
Search WWH ::




Custom Search