At the Texas Tech Book Pages is a book review of Windmill Tales, edited by Coy F. Harris, with photographs by Wyman Meinzer, and an Introduction by Steve Halladay.
"On the prairies of North America, wind and water were pervasive, but whereas wind was tangible, water in quantity was hidden beneath the surface. The vast grasslands fed great herds of animals, which in turn sustained native Americans, but it was not until water could be brought to the surface that the plains could be cultivated and developed into a great agricultural bread-basket for the growing nation. The self-governing windmill forever changed the culture of this vast region."
"The only sound that day was from the windmill, a creaking sound that a windmill makes turning in the summer breeze. It is a memory I deeply cherish and why I love windmills so much."
--A visitor to the American Wind Power Center.
"In Windmill Tales, in ninety-nine beautiful full-color images, photographer Wyman Meinzer shows American windmills as they appear today. Many of them are still working, and others have fallen or are preserved at the American Wind Power Center, but all illustrate the way of life that was made possible by the windmill."
"Brief reminiscences and stories told by visitors to the American Wind Power Center give the reader a sense of the central importance of windmills in the lives of early pioneers in the West. Some of the stories reflect the sense of humor ranch and farm families developed to help them through hard times, whereas others hint at disappointment and tragedy. Together with the photographs they give us a fascinating insight into our history."
"The agricultural development of the plains is the story of the ingenuity, hardship, success, and sometimes failure of settlers as they applied a new technology in an environment with which they were barely familiar. The stories of these settlers and of their children and grandchildren often focus on the windmill, for this source of life-sustaining water often became the center of ranch and farm life.
Using the Beaufort Wind Scale- described later- you can roughly estimate the number of watts your wind turbine could harvest by seeing what effects wind has on trees, flags, and "trash-moving."
"The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. Beaufort origianlly used knots and open seas descriptions; the scale has been adapted for use on land as well."
4 on the scale is 13 - 18 mph. Dust and loose paper raised. Small branches begin to move and wind farming begins to make economic sense. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) energy density classes 3/4/5 are in this Beaufort number.
Wind power density is measured in watts per square meter. It indicates how much energy is available at the site for conversion by a wind turbine. A not-too-technical description of energy density classes is here.
6 on the scale is 25 - 31 mph. Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult. NREL energy density classes 6/7.
7 on the scale is 32 - 38 mph. Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.
8 on the scale is 39 - 46 mph. Twigs broken from trees. Cars veer on road. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.
9 on the scale is 47 - 54 mph. Light structure damage. "Shingle-stripping" wind. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.
10 on the scale is 55 - 63 mph. Trees uprooted. Considerable structural damage. Most turbines "cut-out at these speeds to prevent damaging the generator and geartrain. Exceeds NREL energy density class maximum 7.
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A handful of South Dakota wind-
7 PM Jun 06, S at 24 mph
11 AM Jun 06, SSE at 29 mph
6 AM Jun 06, S at 21 mph light rain
5 AM Jun 06, SSE at 12 mph
8 PM Jun 05, S at 5 mph.
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'Til next time. Best Wind.
