Acknowledgements

Pierre Jean Cavey (†):

This site would not exist without the notes, photographs and memories of my father Pierre Jean Cavey, born on 24 December 1921 in Saint Cyr l'Ecole (Seine et Oise) and died on 20 October 2010 in Romorantin (Loir et Cher).

Marc Rapin (O.N.E.R.A.):

Marc Rapin, a graduate of Arts et Métiers, is a research engineer in charge of the implementation of aeroelastic tools on aircraft rotors and wings at the O.N.E.R.A. He is the co-author (with Jean-Marc Noël) of « L'énergie éolienne Principes - études de cas » Dunod 2010- ISBN 978-2-10-050801-3. I have corresponded with Marc and his book has allowed me to complete my father's data with archives that he was able to find at the O.N.E.R.A.

Raymond Saurat:

Mr. Saurat wrote to me "There is the EDF fund on a company constructor of aerogenerator created in 1944, on November 17: Société d' Etudes d'Aeromoteurs (SETAM). A partnership between the Union of Electricity and Setam had for object the researches in the matter of electro-wind production. The fund 0.10 m includes technical studies of aero-engines between 1944 and 1945. The file of compensation by EDF was processed between 1946 and 1951. "

Guy Chanal (Alstom):

Mr Chanal writes to me: "Just a short message to congratulate you for your site on the Nogent le Roi wind turbine which I have just read with great interest. I have been working for more than 25 years in the company Alstom Power hydro in Grenoble which is none other than the former company NEYRPIC known worldwide for its hydraulic turbines and other multiple activities developed around fluid mechanics since the beginning of the last century. I have indeed heard here about an own development of Neyrpic wind turbines in the 60s. If on the occasion of a fortuitous discovery in the labyrinth of our underground archives, I unearth some information, I will try to communicate it to you. As for me, I am the grandson of a former EDF district manager in the Massif Central region; my father also worked some 30 years and more at Neyrpic and I am in the process of installing a micro-hydro plant on the site of an old mill from the Middle Ages in the Gévaudan (land of "the beast!"). "

Jérôme Billerey (Vergnet S.A.):

Mr. Billerey, General Manager of Vergnet S.A. wrote to me: "I have read with interest the site concerning the Nogent wind turbine. Knowing a little about this historical installation, I found a lot of interesting information. I have only a few comments to make, it seems to me that in a few places, there is a small typo concerning the units kW (power) and KW (energy). Currently ,director of Vergnet SA, having worked for AEROWATT between 1983 and 1985, I am very proud of this history and thank you for having put a link with the VERGNET SA website. If you don't mind, we will do the same on our side. I have informed Jean Marc NOEL of the existence of your work. He is at the origin of AEROWAT and has been its President for nearly 15 years. He should be able to clarify certain historical points concerning the BEST. Eventually, he will be able to direct you to new contacts. For your information, VERGNET has protected the name of AEROWATT and has just reused it to name a sister company of the industrialist Vergnet manufacturing wind turbines. This new company has for vocation the administrative assembly, the financing and the exploitation of the wind power plants, in particular in the DOM / TOM, where we have today 30 000 kW of installed power. "

Georges Vallée (EDF Wind Energy Division) :

Having become aware of this site, Mr Vallée provided me with information on the team of seven people making up this division and on the document by Georges Rauline translated by the N.A.S.A. as well as on the projects from the Raz de Blanchard to La Hague. Georges Vallée, an engineer at EDF's Wind Energy Division, was more specifically responsible for monitoring research on the Neyrpic wind turbines at Saint-Remy-des-Landes (Manche).

Philippe Bruyerre (Arts et Métiers engineer):

Head of companies specialized in wind energy until 2007. Holder of a master's degree in philosophy of technology in 2002, he defended on 30 November 2017 his doctoral thesis in social sciences at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales entitled: "Dynamics of technical innovation and socio-economic integration. The case of the wind turbine in Germany, Denmark and France. "(under the direction of Ms Liliane Hilaire-Perez). He published "La puissance du vent. Des moulins à Vent aux éoliennes modernes", Histoire et techniques, Presses Universitaires du Midi, 2020 (ISBN: 978-2-8107-0675-4). This book brings important information on the windmill of Nogent-le-Roi which completes this site. In 2016, we had a long conversation about this wind turbine. In November 2019, he publishes « Technical accidents and social breakdowns: The case of EDF wind turbines in the 1950’s and 1960’s » from Artefact