1. Product: Wind mill is a mill operated by wind usually acting on oblique vanes or scales which rotate from horizontal shafts. Wind mill is used for grain milling in rural village and pumping of water, where there is no electrification and other source of energy is not available. Wind energy in the form of electricity is stored in lead storage batteries and used when there is no wind.
2. Rationale: There are many places in the region with abundant wind power and no energy power available in the near by places. The rural population mainly uses ordinary stones for grinding their grains manually. They also get water from places far away, from streams and rivers. The construction of wind mills in deep inside rural places of the region will alleviate the hard and poor condition of the people. It will be expensive to have electricity in every rural place using electrical grids from near by big towns. Wind mills will resolve the problem by providing energy mainly for grinding grains and pumping water. The region should encourage and establish manufacturing and construction of wind mills.
3. Market: The rural places of the region are not electrified and more than 40% of the population lives in this area. There is an abundant wind that could be harnessed into energy for milling of grain and pumping of water. A wind mill serves a community of 4000 rural households. If proper promotion and provision of technical assistance to handle a wind mill is provide there is high demand for wind mill energy in the region. It will be important to establish a unit that produces a wind mill production unit in the region.
4. Supply of Raw Material: The main raw material for wind mill production are:-
- Rotary blade assembly
- Gear box
- Alternate 100 kw capacity
- Rectifier (silicon) with capacitor
- Lead acid storage batting
- Structural alloy steel
- Steel fabricated material plate
- Bearing nuts.
5. Production Process and Technology (a) Process The main process of wind mill production is the fabrication of the main units in the workshop and assembles and constructs the wind mill in designated rural place.
b) Machinery and Equipment
- Welding machine
- Precession lather
- Vertical axis milling machine
- Drilling machine
- Grinding machine
- Jigs and fixtures
- Crain and chain blocks
- Hydraulic system for mounting of beams
- Inspection of equipment
- Electric furnace.
6. Estimated Investment: The total investment cost is estimated to be Birr 8.85 million.
7. Location: The plant for wind mill production can be in one of the places of Gonder, Debre Berhan or Kombolcha.