[ozzymandus]

Turbines don’t work unless there is a steady wind. Until somebody figures out a practical way of storing the electricity, windmills are useless.

When I was a kid, my aunt and uncle, who never threw anything away, still had the remains of an old windcharger mounted on an old shed on their farm. The shed was full of 6-volt batteries wired in series to store the electricity, which they used to power their milkhouse. They never had electricity in their actual house until REA came along in the 50’s. This “turbine” concept is not a new idea, and it has never worked very well.

[chimera]

One of my Mom's earliest memories was of her father's farm in rural (at the time) New Jersey. He had no electricity, and used a windmill for pumping water up from his well into a cistern. He was always fretting about having enough potable water for the family and the few farm animals he kept.

When REA came in the first thing he did was tear down his windmill. He hated it that much, never being reliable. Sure, he had a monthly electric bill to pay, but never lacked for water again.