ABSTRACT
In Denmark during the 10 year period between 1974 and 1984 a great number of enterprises and inventors emerged, who worked on many different versions and concepts of windmills. This bottom up process is part of the one of the flourishing periods of innovation and dynamics that led to the foundations for a new Danish industrial sector, which soon acquired importance on the international scale. While other countries also had their inventors and pioneers with designs and constructions that did not become commercial, in Denmark several dozens had the dream to develop the technologically ultimate solution. Only some of them are mentioned in this chapter. 16.2 Home-Made Inventions “I planted the trees, I cut them down, and now I have carved the wood into blades for my windmill,” says Jacob Overgaard from Jelstrup, Thy, in Per Mannstaedt’s film, “Dansk Energi” (“Danish Energy”). It is a one hour documentation of the bottom-up efforts by the people to make the vision of a Denmark without nuclear power come true. The film was made in 1977, following another film, “Flere Atomkraftværker” (“More Nuclear Power Plants”) in which Per Mannstaedt had shown us what is going on behind the metres of thick walls in a nuclear power plant, something that was not at all reassuring. The contrast between the world of atomic energy and the inauguration of Jacob Overgaard’s windmill was overwhelming. When the neighbours, most of them over 60, saw the green blades on the red and white tower do their first turn, they proceeded to the farm house where the tables in the best parlour had been laid with coffee, cakes and aquavit. Jacob and his windmill were celebrated, and debates on energy policies took place. My son who was four at the time also appeared in the film along with the group of men at their afternoon coffee. The people had taken things in their own hands. Jacob had delivered a manifest statement that we could manage without nuclear power.
