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daily nebraskan
friday, january 25, 1980
ncEmess wr power
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By Barb Bierman
Construction of a small wind-powered
electric generating system north of Lincoln
should be completed this week, according
to the associate dean -of the UNL College
of Engineering and Technology.
Donald Edwards, wno has been active in
promoting wind generators as an alternate
energy source, said erection of a Pinson
Cycloturbine on the John Carter property
at 7300 N 7th St., could provide as much
as 38 percent of the power needs of the
Carter home.
The generating system is part of the
U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) pro
gram for Small Wind Energy Conversion
Systems (SWECS), Edwards said, and is
being put up through cooperation with the
Lincoln Electric System (LES).
SWECS is administered by Rockwell
International and Nebraska is participating
in the pilot program in which Rockwell
hopes to place two conversion machines in
each state.
Edwards said sites were screened
throughout Nebraska last summer and the
two selected were the Carter property
north of Lincoln and the Robert Scott
home in Grand Island.
Spiraling costs
In these days of spiraling energy costs,
wind as a possible' renewable energy source
definitely must be explored, Edwards said.
The cycloturbine being erected north of
Be careful who you meet
going to Walpurgisnacht
By Lucy Bighia
A word of warning to anyone planning
to let loose and get into the spirit of things
at tonight's Walpurgisnacht festivities: read
on before making that possibly fatal
decision.
The Union Program Council may be bill
ing Walpurgisnacht as Lincoln's own "All
Night Winter Festival," but the real
occasion has a much different history,
Walpurgisnacht-German for "Walpur
gis Night"-was historically a witches holi
day observed the night before May 1.
The holiday, also known as a witches'
fire festival, marked an important Sabbath
for witches and sorcerers.
Rumor has it the witcheswould ride to
the Brocken, the highest peak in the
German Harz Mountains, on the backs of
demons in the form of goats or asses or
through the air on broom sticks.
There they would hail their master,
Lucifer, with cries of "ooroorake "-from
which the word "eureka" is said to be de-rived-a
shout which conjures up fire.
Those covens (groups of witches) that
found the Brocken too crowded for their
taste would congregate in open places or at
crossroads to perform their rites and re
affirm their subservience to their master.
The witches supposedly anointed them
selves with oil made from the fat and
marrow of murdered babies to attend their
service, which was actually a parody of the
Catholic Mass.
Novices were accepted into the coven,
and members swore fealty to the master
while placing one hand on the head and
holding the sole of the foot with the other.
The initiate would then receive a new name
while being pinched by an imp to make an
indelible blue mark.
Then came the real fun.
The witches would feast on stolen food '
and dance wildly around with their backs
to the center of a huge circle. The devil
would pick one lucky young lady to be his
partner for the evening,' while the rest of
the witches paired off into couples, and the
whole group then engaged in a frenzied
orgy until dawn.
The namesake of such merrymaking-an
English nun-would probably be scandal
ized 1 at the turn of events her holiday had
taken.
St. Walpurga, who died in 778, was best
known for founding religious houses
throughout Germany. Her name later be
came linked with the Sabbath, much to
many Christians' dismay.
So the Christians decided to fight back,
They picked up the habit of ringing con
secrated bells to ruin the rhythm of the
witches" merrymaking.
Lincoln is a horizontal axis machine manu
factured by Pinson Energy Corporation of
Marston Mills, Mass. According to Ed
wards, it is not typical of most wind energy
converters as it resembles "an egg-beater".
LES is working to connect the system
with power lines, using the principle that if
the home needs the power, it goes there,
otherwise excess power goes into the line,
Edwards said. '
"It is a complex situation trying to
balance those loads," he said.
A different machine will be installed by
the Grand Island Utility Department on
the Scott property.
The Grand Island site will be used to
i iL . c .. .: l
analyse uie acceptance ui wmu niacmiica
in nlmnst nrhan settings. Edwards saidl'
"We're trying to see how close to resi
dential areas we can put them in. Factors
such as noise, radio and TV interference,
and aesthetic value are all things we don't
know for sure how to deal with," he said.
Which is best?
Placement of the wind machines is
critical, but Edwards said they are not
certain which is best.
The Lincoln site is on a hilltop, whereas
the Grand Island generator will be located
on a flat area.
"Who knows, perhaps updrafts along
the bluffs by the Missouri could be our
next site to experiment," he said.
Edwards said data from the two sites
will be collected and analyzed for the next
two years.
"Response to the project has been so
favorable that there might be a possibility
of getting two more SWECS for Nebraska
by mid-1980," Edwards said.
While work on storing wind energy is
still in the experimental stage, Edwards
said two other researchers at the university
are working with projects utilizing .wind
energy.
Wayne Martin, professor of engineering
mechanics, has been trying to reduce the -high
costs of windmill motors by con
structing them out of high-strength con
crete. Since costs are 10 to 20 times too
high for economical power production,-.,
alternative building materials may be the
answer.
Nitrogen compounds
Richard Gilbert, professor of chemical
engineering, has been experimenting with
using wind to create nitrogen compounds
for use in agricultural fertilizers.
Edwards said these projects have
potential, not only for wind, but for solar
applications as well.
. "Solar and wind systems provide a dif
fused source of energy, while oil, gas and
coal are more concentrated," he said.
Though most projects are still in experi
, mental .stages, .the. , application . of .older;
principles to new technology could provide
a solution to the energy crunch, Edwards
said.
"It would be a tremendous accomplish
ment if someday 5 to 10 percent of our
energy would come from the wind," he
added.
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