Ulrich Hütter was an Austrian-German engineer and professor who pioneered in the generation of electricity through wind power. After completing school in Salzburg, Hütter studied mechanical engineering and shipbuilding at the Vienna University of Technology from 1930 to 1936. In 1932, during his time in Vienna, Hütter joined the NSDAP, which later become the Nazi party. From 1936, he studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Stuttgart, achieving a diploma in 1938. After living in Weimar and working as the head of the aerodynamic department of the Weimar Engineering School between 1939 to 1943, Hütter became head of the design department of Ventimotor GmbH. Ventimotor was promoted as a supplier of decentralized wind turbines for a suitable energy supply within the framework of the Nazi’s General Plan East after a possible victory of the war.
In 1951 Hütter designed a 10 kW wind system with a rotor diameter of 11m. This was mass produced by Allgaier Werke, where he was design manager. They produced another turbine in 1958. This was the 100 kW Hutter-Allgaier turbine, the rotor was 34m in diameter and it was built at Stötten. The turbine was the first to have fibreglass blades and was considered a milestone in the history of energy. It was used as a prototype for modern turbines. Hütter’s turbine operated at Stötten until the late 1960s. Hütter retired from work in 1980 before passing away in 1990. Despite his association with the Nazi party through his work for Ventimotor, Hütter’s legacy as a pioneer of wind is still important to acknowledge. His Hütter-Allgaier turbine in 1958 served as basis for the modern wind turbine.
Sources
Peter Musgrove – Wind Power, 2010