ABSTRACT
Amory Lovins wrote the article “Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken” and the US President Jimmy Carter, elected in 1976, initiated massive energy efficiency and renewable energy policies and programs, providing grants to almost anyone who might have a potential solution to our energy problems. The authors, Smiley and Kopka, began their professional careers in this era of promise, a continent apart and unaware of each other’s work. As the principal investigator working on a grant from the US Department of Energy, Kopka and her research associates inventoried, catalogued and documented the history of passive energy heating and cooling in 19th century vernacular architecture and landscapes in the United States, within a program called “Small and Appropriate Technologies”, which was granted with USD 300 000, and was written to the Purdue University School of Horticulture, where Susan was working as assistant professor. At the same time Smiley had also applied for small grants under the same grant program, granting up to USD 10 000 to anyone who had a reasonably good research or energy application idea. Smiley was awarded a grant to conduct a windmill technology exchange with the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy (FC), led by Preben Maegaard. Kopka and Smiley would meet more than 10 years later and combine their professional experiences and aspirations, and marry in 199. 25.2 From Denmark to AlaskaSmiley first met Preben Maegaard at the Third Alaskan Alternative Energy Conference in Anchorage, Alaska. In 1979 they planned a technology transfer of wind power know-how from a Danish group of pioneering technicians to a group from his hometown of Homer, Alaska. In October of 1980 six Danes came to Alaska. Over a two-week period the team built an 11 kW Danish-designed windmill from scratch, constructing everything but the gearbox and electric generator. Alaskans John Rogers, Tim Murnane, Frank Kohout, and Otto Kilcher provided machine tools, welding, electrical and carpentry skills. The windmill blades were built in Tim Murnane’s boat building shop using mahogany-the only good wood
Poulsen, Hans Pederson and Birger Kühn applied their skills while Dale Vandewalker kept the group well fed during the two-week project.
