With the arrival of an American Bergey BWC Excel the German Windpower Museum registers its second US machine.

The machine from Oklahoma is rated at 10kW at a diameter of 7m. It was imported from the US by Dutch wind turbine manufacturer LMW and installed in Belm by German manufacturer NEW in 1991.

After the turbine was removed from its site in the 2000s it was supposed to be reinstalled in Hunteburg near Bohmte (Lower Saxony). But it never happened.

Bergey is a US pioneer in the field of wind energy and active since 1977. Until today the small company produces wind turbines up to 50kW. Its machines are ubiquitious in North America. Worldwide Bergey machines can often be found in remote areas.

Last week the German Windpower Museum registered a very exotic new entrant for an longer time since.

The first US wind turbine from earlier wind pioneer Kenetech is now on the premises of the museum.

This is the nacelle of a Kenetech 33M-VS with a rated power of 365kW and a diameter of 33m. It was originally placed in Eemshaven, the Netherlands and was one out of 94 units that made up one of Europe’s largest wind farms in 1995!

However, these machines disappeared in 2008.

Until 1993 Kenetech was called U.S. Windpower and was one of the first US companies who developed and mass produced wind turbines since the late 1970s. All in all U.S. Windpower produced more than 4000 units of which the majority was installed in the USA. U.S.W.P. made huge profits during the 1980s wind boom in California and grew to the biggest and strongest US manufacturer then.

During the 1990s the company intended to gain ground on the European market with its new 33M-VS but realized “just” two large wind farms (Netherlands, Spain) before filing for bankruptcy in 1996 and vanishing. There were plans for wind farms in Germany as well.

The German Windpower Museum receives this nacelle as a permanent loan from the German Museum of Technology of Berlin to which it holds a long time contact.

The permanent loan was made possible  due to the long time engagement of Dr. Jochen Hennig of the German Museum of Technology and Mr. Jaeger manager of the German Windpower Museum. Further common projects are in the pipe.

With the receipt of this nacelle the German Windpower Museum reaches a new milestone. On the one hand the USA as a wind power pioneering country are now represented. On the other hand it is the first machine from a different continent – abroad from Europe!

Thus, the international orientation of the museum gets a further incentive.

The German Windpower Museum cordially thanks the German Museum of technology for this permanent loan and the support that comes with it!

With the arrival of the Enercon-18, 80kW, the German Windpower Museum is one legendary exhibit richer. Thanks to the engagement of Enercon and museum manager Jaeger a complete blade set and a nacelle were saved from scrapping.

This unit was originally installed on a concrete tower at Hohne close to Celle in Lower Saxony. Units equipped with a steel three-legged tower were applied as well.

This turbine type was popular among farms in northern Germany. It was often applied at sewage plants, too.

Between 1991 and 1995 more than 100 units of Enercon-18 were manufactured. Thus, it is considered a best seller within its power range.

Enercon-18 either had an 18m or 19,4m rotor. The high-quality blades were manufactured by danish LM.

Still for this turbine type a transmission was used and the drivetrain was fully integrated meaning that all components were assembled as one compact unit.

The German Windpower Museum thanks Enercon for this technologically attractive donation!

A very rare exhibit has made its way from Lubing, Barnstorf to the German Windpower Museum. A tiny windpump from the 1960s was intensively overhauled by a Lubing employee and can now be spotted in the museum as a permanent loan. Erwin Scissek, a society member, was the initiator of this project.

Still today, Lubing wind pumps appear on meadows, farms or along dikes. In most cases it’s downwind turbines equipped with blue colored plastic blades and four or six bladed rotors. They are used for water pumping or ventilation. Especially in northern Germany these wind pumps were ubiquitous.

Thanks to Lubing for this outstanding engagement!

The German Windpower Museum is – once again – one more exhibit richer. This time it’s a very special machine which heavily influenced the German and international wind scene in the 1990s. The Enercon E-40, made by Enercon, rated at 500kW and equipped with a 500kW ring generator was the sensation at its market introduction in 1993. There was no comparable wind turbine of its class before that dismissed a transmission.

The E-40 was more than a milestone even for Enercon. It meant more than just a technological skip from conventional wind turbines with transmissions to gearless machines. It was the first international and commercially successful breakthrough for the Aurich based company.

The unit in Stemwede originates from 1995 and, thus, is an E-40 5.40 with 65m hub height, tubular steel tower and 40m diameter. The turbine stood in close proximity to the former test site of DEWI, located in Wilhelmshaven-Sengwarden.

Of this “original” E-40 alone more than 1000 units were manufactured until 1999. Thus, it is considered the most successful wind turbine in 1990s Germany – surpassing the Tacke TW600. In addition, this wind turbine proved that ring generators are suitable for mass production and can stand technical criteria. Thus, conventional wind turbines with transmission faced “new competition”.

In the late 1990s follow-up models with larger diameters, increased rated power (E-40 6.44) and the well-known “egg shape” were introduced.

This transfer was enabled by the engagement of manager Jaeger and company Enercon who we would like to thank for this outstanding cooperation with the German Windpower Museum!

On November 14, three members of the German Windpower Museum met representatives of GEW (utility) in the futuristic building of the former jade wind farm close to Wilhelmshaven.
It was all about the intention to take down the closed facility and reinstall it at Stemwede as part of the German Windpower Museum.

The building was installed in the late 1980s as part of Jade wind farm, then new and spectacular. Three single-blade turbine of type Monopteros-50 made by MBB, made up the core of the former wind farm. With a rated power of 640kW and 56m diameter they were the largest single-bladers the wind industry had ever seen.

In 1993 the Jade wind farm was extended by a 3MW two-blader. Aeolus II by Kvaerner/MBB was the fourth highly visible large-scale turbine, served as a prototype and led to even more exclusivity for the Jade wind farm..

In the previously mentioned building visitors were able to get a detailed impression and retrieve live data of all four machines. In addition to that people were informed about wind energy in general.

All wind turbines of the Jade wind farm disappeared between 2001 and 2008. Thus, keeping the existing building is of high importance.

Both sides gave a positive signal at this first meeting. GEW as well as German Windpower Museum think there’s a chance in transferring and keeping this building. Further steps are planned.

The German Windpower Museum thanks representatives of GEW for this first meeting.

Dear club members!
Dear wind energy friends!

The society name „Mühlheide Windpower Museum“ is deregistered with direct effect.
All future activities concerning the windpower museum located at Mühlheide will be subject to the name
“German Windpower Museum”.
The renaming was decided within a general club meeting and is related to the national and international approach of the museum.
Site and general targets will stay the same.
For the sake of completeness older articles from the Mühlheide Windpower Museum will remain for people interested.

Right out of the headquarter of Enercon, Aurich, the drivetrain of an Enercon-17, rated at 80kW, has been delivered to Mühlenheide Windpower Museum.

The E-17 is one of Enercon’s first wind turbines of considerable success, since more than 100 units (various versions) of this series (E-17/E-18) were made. Since its market introduction in 1987 this 80kW machine was manufactured until the mid 1990s.

From a pedagogic view this drivetrain proves valuable due to the missing nacelle cover and the possibility to touch it at eye-level. All main components of a modern wind turbine can be spotted directly without a cover standing in the way.

This project required quite some organization carried out by manager Jaeger. Transporting the 5 Tons object was taken over by Mr. Nobbe from Twiehausen, who loves to support the museum.

Mühlenheide Windpower Museum cordially thanks Enercon for this donation!

We would like to give special thanks to the employees for their friendly support and a smooth process!

On the premises of the museum members of Mühlheide Windpower Museum have built an amusement house for the Oppendorf kindergarden. The installation at its final place on the premises of the kindergarden will be carried out by members of the museum on calendar week 28 and 29. Due to the massive weight of the object willingly supporters will be needed. The project was financed by local wind farm operators.

Two days ago the Mühlheide Windpower Museum became one more wind turbine richer. This time one of the first Kukate wind turbines from the early 1980s came in.

These are solid, purely mechanically running turbines in the range up to 10kW which can easily be produced by small enterprises or single persons on their own. The Kukate concept is also applicable for developing countries.

This process was made possible by manager Jaeger who personally managed the transport. The owner, Mr. Droste from Diepenau, is an active member of Mühlheide Windpower Museum and quickly agreed on the transportation of the turbine – after it got wrecked by a storm.

Club chairman Friedrich Bosse and Dr. Jochen Hennig from Deutsche Technikmuseum, Berlin presented the Mühlenheide Windpower Museum on the delegate meeting of BWE (German Windenergy Association) at hannover Fair. In front of approximately 300 invited guests the current achivements and future targets of the society were explained. The lecture got a positive response. In addition several new members were won.

Last Friday Mühlenheide Windpower Museum got a visit from Berlin and the Netherlands. Blessed with good weather Dr. Jochen Hennig from Deutsche Technikmusuem Berlin as well as renowned journalist Eize de Vries from Amersfoort did a tour through the premises of the museum. Various wind turbine types and technical developments as well as a possible future cooperation between the society and the Berlin museum were discussed.Both visitors stressed the meaningof the ever growing collection of wind turbines as well as the necessity for increased attention and support.

Few days ago an Enercon E-16 arrived at the depot of the Mühlheide Windpower Museum. The machine – rated at 55kW with a 16m rotor – stems from Norden/ East Frisia and was one out of five machines that comprised one of the first wind farms in Germany in 1987.

Even for Enercon the wind farm owned by Stadtwerke Norden (utility) was one of the first bigger orders. The same year five E-16 were placed at a wind farm in Kaiser-Wilhelm-Koog (Windenergiepark Westküste) and ten units were installed at a wind farm in Nordholz near Cuxhaven.

The E-16 was Enercon’s first commercial success and was produced from 1987 til 1990.

Thus, the club managed to save a unit from Enercon’s early beginnings and from a German pioneering wind farm – long before the EEG (energy law) came up and Enercon went into gearless wind turbine production.

Mühlheide Windpower Museum is keen on saving further wind turbine types made by Enercon.