Visiting Netherlands’ Hub for Wind Energy : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Visiting Netherlands’ Hub for Wind Energy

(‘Zaanse Schans’ the Windmill Town in North Holland0

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

The Hans India (01-09-2024)

              {Our visit to ‘Zaanse Schans’, the charming windmill town near Amsterdam, provided us a broad understanding of Netherlands' rich industrial heritage. The ‘Timeless Ambience’ drawing visitors like us into a world where the past breathes with life is superb. The iconic sawing wood exemplifies the ingenuity that powered the Dutch Golden Age} – Editor’s Note

Ever since we arrived in ‘Amstelveen’ in Amsterdam, our top priority has been to visit the ‘Zaanse Schans’ or the ‘Windmill Town’ depicted as the ‘Best Picturesque Area of the City’ that offers a glimpse into the Netherlands' rich industrial past. Accompanied by my son, resident of Amstelveen, we visited and keenly witnessed, this Netherlands’ Hub for Wind-Powered Industry where number of windmills as indispensable to the area's and city’s economy are in melodious action.

My instant memory had gone back to 1980s when I was working as Project Officer of ‘Chetana’ an NGO chaired by the Governor of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh (AP), Late Kumud Ben Joshi, and dynamically engaged in Rural Development Activities. I was introduced to Windmills by ‘Father Michael Antony Windey’ a Belgian Jesuit Priest, who arrived in India, eight decades ago, and pioneered the ‘Village Reconstruction Organization (VRO)’ in India. He dedicated his life to rural development, though he came to India basically to learn Sanskrit and Indian culture in Pune.

Windey though absorbed in Sanskrit Study, was deeply moved by the poverty-stricken rural people, and inspired by philosophy of Gandhi and Jayaprakash Narayan, instantly shifted his focus from academics to social work and community development. He eventually founded the VRO after the 1969 cyclone that hit Coastal Districts of AP. He focused on empowering rural people through reconstruction, education, sustainable development, cultural preservation, and improving the lives of the poor, mainly in five southern Indian states, including erstwhile AP and Tamil Nadu.

Towards ‘Progressive Ruralism Movement’ and considering ‘Village Community’ as the smallest viable unit of ‘Integrated Development’ VRO selected 500 villages with backward communities. Which were isolated, exposed, segregated for reconstruction, and to support thousands of families. He introduced ‘Windmill Technology’ for providing clean, renewable energy to remote underdeveloped areas. The story of ‘Father Windy’ in popularizing ‘Windmill Technology in India’ is a fascinating chapter in the history of rural development in southern Indian states, which gained international recognition, earning him the ‘Knight of the Order of Leopold Award’ the ‘Highest’ from the Belgian Government.

Former AP Red Cross Society Secretary Late Dr AP Ranga Rao, Charted Accountant Jawahar Vadlamani, Senior Journalist Late G Krishna and I accompanied Late Windy and visited few places between Hyderabad and Nagarjuna Sagar including ‘Vinoba Nagar’ three kilometers south of Ibrahimpatnam, where he was working with Windmills. With inputs from G Krishna, my article ‘In Search of Rural Symphony’ reporting Father Windey's innovative approach to rural reconstruction, usage of modern technology with traditional village life to create sustainable development models, was published in Indian Express in 1986. Dr PV Ramesh, a highly committed former IAS Officer is Chairman of VRO now.   

‘Cornelis Corneliszoon’ from North Holland in Netherlands, who invented the ‘Wind-Powered Sawmill’ is credited with formulating ‘Windmills’ also, to convert wind power into mechanical energy efficiently, leading to widespread use in various industries. ‘Windmill Technology’ perfected and popularized in Netherlands, gradually spread to many European Countries like England, Germany, Denmark etc. Even countries like USA, China, and India, adopted wind power as a sustainable energy source, reflecting global shift towards alternative energy sources.   

During our tour in the ‘Windmill Town’ we observed keenly, the meticulously preserved ‘Open-Air Museum’ like area, showcasing traditional Dutch Architecture, Crafts, Artisan Workshops, Working Windmills, that are serving as a testament to the imagination and ingenuity of the Dutch People, who harnessed wind power long before the advent of modern energy technologies. Gradually, Netherlands ‘Windmill Technology’ that was largely driven by innovative Dutch Engineers in the late Middle Ages, did provide a renewable source of power long before the modern energy crisis!!!

‘Zaanse Schans’ or the ‘Windmill Town’ is located in North Holland, in the banks of the ‘Zaan River’ surrounded by lush green fields, traditional Dutch houses, and small canals, just a 35 Kilometers Drive from ‘Amstelveen’ where we are staying. Zaan River played a crucial role in the development of ‘Zaanse Schans’ as an industrial hub. The river provided a convenient transportation route for raw materials, particularly logs, which were floated downstream from Scandinavian countries. Each of the collection of historic windmills in the ‘Windmill Town’ had a specific purpose. Notable windmills include ‘De Kat,’ and ‘De Zoeker.’

‘Traditional Dutch Houses’ painted in characteristic green, represent traditional Dutch architecture and now serve as museums, shops, and workshops. ‘Zaanse Museum’ offers insights into the region's industrial past, and ‘Craft Workshops’ provide an opportunity to see traditional techniques in action. The most prominent windmills are sawmills, specifically designed for cutting timber, and the enthralling one is to see ‘The Wood Cutting Process.’ Logs are fed into the sawmills, where large wind-powered saw blades cut the timber into planks and beams through crankshaft mechanism, an innovation by Cornelis Corneliszoon. Sawmills like ‘Het Jonge Schaap’ played a pivotal role in the shipbuilding industry and other wood-based trades.

There is a strong link between Amsterdam’s geographical challenges, specifically its position below sea level, and the development and use of windmill technology, particularly in land reclamation, in shaping agriculture, and canal system management. The word ‘Nether’ stands for ‘Low’ in the native language, and ‘Netherlands’ means lowland. Due to 60% of its land being below the sea level, Netherlands including Amsterdam have learnt to co-exist with water bodies, implementing sophisticated flood control systems over the last 50 years.

‘Windmill Technology’ astonishingly made it possible for Amsterdam to thrive despite being below sea level. Their innovative use of wind powered pumps lift water from low-lying areas into canals, and direct the water away to rivers or the sea, a process to reclaim land from the sea. Even after the land was reclaimed, windmills when required, pump excess water out, preventing waterlogging. They supported various types of farming, including crop cultivation, dairy farming, and horticulture, by ensuring that fields remained dry and fertile. All this resulted in the Netherlands to become one of the most productive agricultural nations in the world.

Windmills are often positioned near the ‘Dikes’ around Amsterdam and other parts of Netherlands to assist in pumping out any water that seeped through or accumulated behind them. The Netherlands is below sea level, and to familiarize, the Dutch have built ‘Dikes’ which are walls or barriers to hold back the water. As part of the water management system, wind mills ensure the long-term sustainability of the reclaimed land (which the Dutch call as ‘Polders’) from sea,

The ability to reclaim and manage land using windmill technology allowed Amsterdam to expand beyond its original boundaries. The canal system, maintained with the help of windmills, became the lifeblood of Amsterdam’s economy, supporting trade and transportation within the city and beyond. Despite modern technology replacing windmills in water management, the legacy of ‘Windmill-Powered Land Reclamation and Water Control’ evidently forms part of Amsterdam’s landscape, and the ‘Windmill Era Principles’ laid strong foundation for the sophisticated systems of dikes, pumps, and canals in protecting the city.

Our visit to ‘Zaanse Schans’ the charming windmill town near Amsterdam, provided us a broad understanding of Netherlands' rich industrial heritage. The ‘Timeless Ambiance’ drawing visitors like us into a world where the past breathes with life is superb. The Iconic sawing wood exemplify the ingenuity that powered the Dutch Golden Age. The rhythmic turning of the windmill blades transforms the wind energy into a force that cuts wood with precision and efficiency, is a beautiful craft.

‘Windmill Technology’ explicitly depicts Dutch Ingenuity, transforming ‘Waterlogged Delta’ Netherlands into leading ‘Productive Agricultural and Industrial Regions,’ the legacy of which offers powerful lesson for developing and underdeveloped countries.

In conclusion poetically; ‘The Windmills’ Arms Spin like Time's Own Rhyme, in a Dance with the Sky, where the Past and Future Intertwine.’

(Writer is a Senior Independent Journalist: Dispatch from Amsterdam)