Molins de Vent TARRAGÓ: Windmills in school books, universities and in the literature most distinguished Spanish authors

Montblanc, 14.09.2011. Manuel Vázquez Montalbán and Javier Marías were still unknown when their first novels were published by Rosa Regàs’ editorial, La Gaya Ciencia, until she was appointed director of the Spanish National Library.

Rosa Regàs is one of the most distinguished writers of the Spanish contemporary literature and, at the same time, one passionate owner of windmills. In several times, she has written about her windmills. For example, in the roman Per un món millor (2002) “For a better world” she has dedicated one chapter to her windmill TARRAGÓ.

Reference to the TARRAGÓ windmills can be also found – since the implementation of the reform of the educational system (LOE: Ley Orgánica de Educación from 3rd May 2006) in the mandatory school books. According to article 18 of the reform law LOE, Spanish pupils in the six year of school have to be instructed in environment, social and cultural aspects („El artículo 18 de la LOE establece como áreas de la educación primaria: Conocimiento del medio natural, social y cultural (...)“).

Within this context the windmills TARRAGÓ can be found in school books like: Natural Science II of the editorial McGraw Hill („Ciències de la naturalesa 2“; Serra, S.; Bouzas, M J., Corbella, J. Giménez, I.) as well as in the manual of the editorial Agenda21BCN with the title Guidelines for solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy and wind energy („Guia Pràctica per Introduir les Energies Renovables en la nostra vida quotidiana: energia solar tèrmica, energia solar fotovoltaica, energia eòlica“).

Universities keep close contact with TARRAGÓ. With certain regularity the factory is visited by scholars and agricultural engineering students (e.g. of Manresa located close to Barcelona and Can Bové close to Tarragona). The age of the students oscillates between 16 and 36 years old. “Most of them ask quite specific questions, because they already know the functioning from the installations we have at the school”, says Maribel Bulló – class director of the last group that visited the production facilities.

“The students show increasing sympathies for renewable energies, isolated energy systems and alternatives to contribute to the energy security supply“ says Josep Tarragó. “It is really enjoyable to show the coming generations that modernized old-energy systems can significantly contribute to satisfy nowadays energy consumption“.

In Europe, TARRAGÓ has collaborated in the past with the Technical University Delf in a water desalination project and with the Technical University of Berlin and Technical University Harburg (Hamburg).