The first in a series of articles on alternative pumping systems.
Windmills have been used for pumping water for hundreds of years, and they remain a viable alternative to electrically driven pumps in remote areas. This article will present a brief history of windmills, describe how they work, offer some guidelines and rules of thumb for sizing and designing windmill systems, and list some sources of supply for windmills and windmill components.
Windmills were adopted for pumping water in North America by the middle of the 19th century. Their use declined drastically in the 1930s when inexpensive electricity reached the rural areas. Several of the major pump manufacturers making electrically driven pumps today began as windmill manufacturers during the last century, including Aermotor, Dempster and Flint & Walling. Aermotor and Dempster still manufacture windmills.