Clipper Wind Power and Alternative Sources of Energy

How the enterprising efforts and sheer zeal of a person devoted to the development and implementation of alternative sources of energy can turn a slow hatchling wind industry into a massive commercial venture has been witnessed by the acts and deeds of a visionary man named Jim Dehlsen. Kevin Rackstraw of Clipper Windpower, a wind power company based inCalifornia has aptly described the mission of this fascinating personage in the following way. “Jim Dehlsen played a central role in transforming the fledgling wind industry into a multibillion dollar commercial enterprise. As the founder of Zond Energy (now GE Wind, the largest U.S. wind turbine manufacturer), Jim's innovative approach to reducing the cost of wind energy through advances in development techniques, finance, and technology has been a key to making wind the fastest growing source of energy in the world. Today, Jim is still involved in ventures to promote and further reduce the cost of wind and other renewable technologies."

Clipper Windpower incidentally, had received an ‘Outstanding Research and Development Partnership Award’ from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for designing and developing the new 2.5 MW Liberty Wind Turbine, so far the largest wind turbine manufactured in the United States. In fact, it was developed under the partnership with DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory while commercial ventures for sale of these mammoth turbines were flagged off in 2006.

However, the California based company preferred not to test its mettle on the home ground first but announced plans to develop the world’s largest wind energy turbine in Blyth, Northumberland in the United Kingdom in April, 2008. Earmarked for offshore use, each turbine would be rated at 7.5 MW (appx) while in dimension they would almost be double the size of the largest turbines used in commercial offshore wind farms till today. Around twenty of these turbines could safely satisfy the domestic need of a city with a population of 250,000 residents, according to a report issued by the British Wind Energy.

While explaining his plans, Jim Dehlsen, chairman of the London-listed, US-based company told Reuters that the company will set up a factory in northern England, having an annual capacity to produce around 200 turbines by 2014-2015. In fact, Clipper has before now begun engineering work on parts for a 10 MW offshore turbine which would be ready for installation by 2012.

When asked about the secret behind his tremendous success with massive wind power turbines, the modest Chairman of the million dollar company gave a simple reply which in his own words runs like this. “I became interested in environmental and energy issues in the early seventies. At that time, I had developed a product called Triflon (presently Triflo), a fluid lubricant based on micron-sized Teflon particles. This product had energy implications, since with better tribology, machineries last longer because of benefits gained from the reduced friction….. With my growing interest in energy, I started looking at the US Department of Energy’s wind turbine R&D that was going on and the fiscal and regulatory measures that had been implemented to encourage development of renewable energy. As soon as Triflon became a commercial success, I sold the company in 1980 and resolved to pursue business in renewable energy”.

However, Jim Dehlsen is confident of a much bigger and growing market for mega wind turbines in the US within a very short time frame when he would be able to devote more time on the US shore.

You can also make a wind generator at home to produce your personal wind power. This being an alternative energy source offers tremendous advantages, particularly by reducing your power bills and by cleaning up the air. However to make it up and running, you will need to know a few things that include how to set it up and where in your home you should do so, how to get the parts cheaply, how to wire the system and of course the safety instructions.