Water Pumping: Turbine vs Windmill

Before we venture into the proposal that the successor of the windmill, the wind turbine, is the future of water pumping systems, let us look at the prime purposes of each.

The Windmill
The windmill dates back as far as the 12th Century and was originally used to grind grain by means of wind power. It further evolved to pumping water from wells, also known as a wind pump, which is how the iconic structure is known to so many farm areas in South Africa, particularly in water-stricken areas like the Karoo. This structure converts wind energy into mechanical energy making it possible to mobilise the piston pump which, in turn, elevates water from a lower level to a higher level.

The Wind Turbine
While the first sleek design of wind turbines that we know today was only conceptualised in the 1990s to 2000s, the wind turbine was first designed as a means to generate electricity from wind power as early as 1930. The first grid-connected turbine went online in the UK in 1951. This technology has since improved and been redesigned to become one of the main alternatives to fossil fuel-dependent electricity generation across the globe.

The Windmill, the Wind Turbine and Water-Pumping
Both the windmill and the wind turbine have been revolutionary in providing water to water-scarce areas. However, when we look at the scale of farming today, the windmill/wind pump is not as reliable as its successor. Modern-day farming needs a larger, more consistent, water supply to meet the demands of its consumers. While both structures carry the benefits of cleaner, more affordable ways to supply water, we need to consider the following:

• Windmills can only pump water from the location where it has been established, which may be where all the water is, but not where all the wind is.
• Wind turbines can generate a generous amount of electricity to power a stronger water pump with less wind power needed to do so. It also does not need to be situated in the same location as the water pump, which means it can be placed in a location that receives more wind exposure than where the water pump is located.
• Windmills use wind to generate mechanical power, if there is no wind, then there is no mechanical power.
• Wind turbines use wind to generate electricity, which can be stored. So, even when there is no wind, there is still electricity that can be used.
• A windmill requires more maintenance services because it relies solely on mechanics to fulfil its function.
• A wind turbine uses a lot less of its inner mechanics to harness electricity, ultimately needing less maintenance.

Kestrel’s wind turbines can operate on maintenance services every 5 years, whilst consistently pumping between 600-1200 litres per hour, depending on your turbine water pumping system’s size and wind exposure.
With its sleek design and maximum output, it seems that wind turbines are the modern-day answer to cleaner, more efficient farming solutions.