Poul La Cour: Father of modern wind energy

Poul La Cour was a Danish scientist and inventor widely regarded as the father of modern wind power. Born in 1846 in the small town of Fjerritslev, La Cour dedicated his life to the study and development of wind power, creating new technologies and innovations that continue to shape the industry today.

From Education to Invention: Early Life of Poul La Cour

Born into a farming family, La Cour showed a keen interest in science and technology from an early age. Despite his humble beginnings, he received a good education, attending the prestigious Sorø Academy and later the Technical University of Denmark.

It was during his time at the university that La Cour first became interested in the potential of wind power. He studied the work of earlier pioneers in the field, including Thomas P. Smith and Charles F. Brush, and began experimenting with his own designs for wind turbines.

The Discovery that Led La Cour to Wind Energy

While studying wind power, La Cour discovered that it had the potential to generate electricity. This was a groundbreaking discovery at the time, as wind power had previously only been used for mechanical purposes, such as grinding grain.

La Cour realized that wind turbines could be used to generate electricity on a large scale, providing a source of clean, renewable energy. He began to focus his research and experiments on developing wind turbines that could efficiently convert wind energy into electrical energy.

Designing the La Cour Rotor: La Cour’s Contribution to Wind Power Technology

La Cour’s most significant contribution to wind power technology was the development of the La Cour rotor. This innovative design featured a rotor with curved blades that allowed it to capture more wind energy than previous designs.

The La Cour rotor was a major breakthrough in wind power technology, and it remains the basis for many modern wind turbines. La Cour continued to refine his design over the years, creating larger and more efficient turbines that could generate more power.

The World’s First Electric Windmill

La Cour’s electric windmill was designed to produce electricity for the small town of Askov, Denmark. The windmill was built with a rotor diameter of 23 feet and was connected to a 2.5 kW dynamo. The dynamo was used to produce electricity which was then fed into the town’s power grid.

The electric windmill was a great success and provided the town of Askov with electricity for many years. La Cour’s invention was also an important milestone in the development of wind power technology, as it showed that wind power could be used to produce electricity on a large scale.

The Importance of La Cour’s Books and Articles on Wind Power

In addition to his practical work in wind power, La Cour was also a prolific writer on the subject. He published numerous articles and books on wind power technology, sharing his knowledge and insights with the wider scientific community.

La Cour’s books and articles were highly influential in the development of wind power, providing valuable guidance and inspiration to other scientists and engineers working in the field. Many of his ideas and concepts remain relevant today, and his writings continue to be studied and referenced by researchers in the wind energy industry. In 1900, La Cour published a book entitled “Windmills: Theory and Practice,” which became a reference for windmill engineers and designers around the world. In the book, La Cour presented a series of mathematical calculations and practical experiments that demonstrated the viability of windmills as an energy source.

La Cour as an advocate for education and science

Throughout his life, La Cour was a strong supporter of education and scientific research. He believed that education was the key to progress and that scientific knowledge was essential to improving people’s lives. La Cour worked tirelessly to promote science and education, serving as director of the Danish Meteorological Institute and the Danish National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy. He was also a founding member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, which continues to promote scientific research and innovation in Denmark today.

Poul La Cour’s 1904 class

Poul La Cour’s Class of 1904 was an important milestone in the history of wind energy. In this class, La Cour taught his students how to design and build wind turbines to generate electricity. This was a revolutionary concept at the time, as most wind turbines were used primarily to grind grain or pump water.

The class of 1904 met at the Copenhagen Polytechnic, where La Cour was a professor of physics. La Cour believed that wind power had great potential for generating electricity and was convinced that his students could help make this vision a reality. During the class, students learned the basic principles of wind energy and the physics behind wind turbines. They also received detailed instructions on how to design and build efficient and reliable wind turbines. La Cour and his students designed and built several wind turbines during the class, including one that generated enough electricity to power a small water pump. This demonstration was an impressive proof of the potential of wind energy and generated a lot of interest in the press and industry.

After the Class of 1904, La Cour continued to work on developing wind turbines and promoting their use in Denmark and around the world. In 1908 he founded the world’s first wind energy research institute in Askov, Denmark, and in 1918 he founded the International Wind Energy Society.

Poul La Cour’s Class of 1904 was an important milestone in the history of wind energy, laying the foundation for the development of efficient and reliable wind turbines for power generation. La Cour’s vision and dedication to wind energy have left a lasting impression on the industry and the world.

Johannes Juul: The outstanding engineer trained by Poul La Cour

Johannes Juul was a Danish engineer known for his work in the field of wind energy. He was a student of Poul La Cour at the Technical University of Denmark and worked closely with him for many years. Juul was one of the first engineers to design and build large wind turbines. In 1929, he designed and built a 200 kilowatt wind turbine in Gedser, Denmark, which was the largest wind turbine in the world at the time. The turbine was used to generate electricity for a local power grid.

Juul was also the founder and director of the wind energy company Vindmølleindustrien, which became one of the leading wind turbine manufacturers in Denmark. Under his leadership, the company developed several innovative technologies, including variable pitch control technology, which allowed wind turbines to operate more efficiently.

In addition to his work in wind energy, Juul was also an advocate for the use of renewable energy in general and for phasing out fossil fuels in favor of cleaner, more sustainable energy sources.

La Cour’s Legacy

La Cour’s contributions to wind power technology have had a lasting impact on the renewable energy industry. His work in the early 20th century laid the groundwork for the development of modern wind turbines, which have become an essential source of renewable energy worldwide.

Today, wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of electricity globally, and the technology continues to advance. Large-scale wind farms are becoming increasingly common, and there are ongoing efforts to develop offshore wind turbines that can generate even more electricity.

La Cour was an advocate of wind power as a sustainable and renewable source of energy. In a 1908 speech, he stated that “wind power is the energy source of the future” and predicted that windmills would become a common feature of the landscape around the world. It seems that Poul La Cour’s predictions are coming true and it is possible that wind energy will lead the transition to a fossil fuel free energy matrix.

Reference

[1] Burton, T., etc., Sharpe, D., Jenkins, N., & Bossanyi, E. (2001). Wind Energy Handbook. John Wiley & Sons.

[2] https://bramminginfo.dk/poul-la-cour.html

[3] https://www.siemensgamesa.com/es-es/descubrir/revista/2019/11/siemens-gamesa-inventors-day