The picture of the windmill illustrates a very useful application of technology for the cattle farming family at Pinnacle Springs. The windmill is located over a well that was drilled down to water some 21 meters below (around 60 feet). As the wind moves the windmill blades, the energy generated helps to operate a pump down in the well. This pump forces water up and through a pipe to the large circular water container. This water is used to fill the trough in the foreground that the cattle drink out of. The water in the trough is filled to the top automatically using a mechanism similar to the one that tells your toilet to stop filling with water. There’s a bulb that floats in the water. If the water level falls, as when the cattle are drinking, the bulb level drops with it and opens the valve to the water tank and allowing water to flow into the trough. When the trough is full again, the bulb rises with it and closes off the valve to the tank.
Today, with modern technology, wind power can be harnessed to generate electricity to be used for any power application. Jason had a wind power generator on his boat ride across the Pacific and he used the power to pump his water, use his razor and turn on his computer.
Suggested learning activity: design and draw a wind generator for your home. List as many different things as you can think of that might be powered from it.
Todd