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government policies ending, including tax incentives and good SO4
power purchase contracts, it was tough times in the world wind
industry. California wind project developers told manufacturers
they would buy windmills if they “delivered the windmills, brought
the financing, took all the risks and gave them the profits.” On one of
the marketing trips to California, when asked a technical question
about the Vind-Syssel wind turbines, Flemming Østergaard joked,
“That's the first time anyone has asked me a technical question,
[usually] all we ever talk about is financing!” During this same
period 90% of the Danish wind turbine manufactures went
bankrupt or were reorganised.
Figure 25.9
Steve Smiley and the LM blade with air brakes for the Vind-
Syssel wind turbine.
25.5
Small Wind Power
Without the support of electric utilities for wind power there was
a strong focus on “of-the-grid” small wind power. Even though
small home systems were expensive for the energy they produced,
avoiding long connecting power lines in out-of-the-way places in
the vast American landscape created a significant demand for small
wind turbines. Small wind power pioneers such as Mike Bergey
of Bergey Windpower, and Elliott Bayly of Whisper in Duluth,
Minnesota led the development and modern re-emergence of
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