Low-tech Magazine: Windmills

October 08, 2009

Wind powered factories: history (and future) of industrial windmills

In the 1930s and 1940s, decades after steam engines had made wind power obsolete, Dutch researchers obstinately kept improving the – already very sophisticated – traditional windmill.

The results were spectacular, and there is no doubt that today an army of ecogeeks could improve them even further. Would it make sense to revive the industrial windmill and again convert kinetic energy directly into mechanical energy?

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Posted on October 08, 2009 in Cover story, Energy production, Factories, History, Kinetic energy, Low-tech solutions, Obsolete technology, Wind energy, Wind turbines, Windmills, Zero emissions | Permalink | Comments (27)

Human powered machines

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Low-tech Transportation

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In spite of all the high-tech that has been squeezed into cars since then, the 2CV from 1949 is still more energy-efficient than the smallest model of the French car designer today.
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Energy Production

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Wind powered factories: history (and future) of industrial windmills
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Energy Consumption

Insulation: first the body, then the home
Modern thermal underclothing offers the possibility to turn the thermostat much lower without sacrificing comfort or sex appeal.
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History

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