Small Wind Turbines for Electricity and Irrigation

xv
Foreword
I got acquainted with Mario during the research project H2Ocean* (2012–2014,
funded by the 7th Frame Program of the European Union), when I had the
pleasure of collaborating with him and observing by myself his creative
streak. When we met during plenary meetings of the cited project he often
told me, while having breakfast: “Maurizio, last night I did not sleep well last
night, I had another creativity attack…”
Mario has multifaceted competences, matured along years of experience
in many fields, a proof of his curiosity and Renaissance intellect. In particular,
I had the chance to discuss and contrast some ideas about wind turbines
with him, one of the research fields we share and the one to which this book
is dedicated.
One of his strong points, rare in people with a creative streak, is being able
to develop an idea from the draft to the practical construction of the prototype,
its improvement, and the development up to its commercial stage. He
is then able to conjugate the necessary abstraction and creativity to develop
new ideas with pragmatism and, on top of all, tenacity, a quality perhaps
more important than all the others. As T. A. Edison said: “Genius is 1% inspiration,
99% perspiration.”
This book was written with such spirit: keeping the theory to the necessary
minimum, it concentrates on the practical aspects; it is suitable for anybody
who has interest in designing and building wind turbines for domestic
usage, without losing sight of economic sustainability.
Good reading to all (of us).
24th August 2014
Dr. Maurizio Collu
Lecturer, Cranfield University
Cranfield, UK
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group