Wind Power!

Here is a brief look at some of the windmills we are working on this season:

Old Faithful: the AWP Demo Garden windmill has been pumping water into the reservoir since the end of last dry season. The windmill was disabled during the rainy season. Yesterday we hooked everything back up to mark the start of irrigation at the Demo.

Salima, a lakeshore district, is an exceptionally windy area. The potential for wind power is known by some local village residents. One such resident has constructed his own windmill not far from our Siyasiya irrigation site. When we venture into the area we always stop by his windmill to see what progress he has made. On our last trip we brought him some PVC turbine blades to improve the efficiency of his design. He was able to get some consistent voltage from the attached bicycle dynamo but not enough to light his house. As he refines the design, we will give him any advice and assistance we can.

More windmill to come as the