Dragonfly Wind Electric started in the houseboat community of Sausalito CA in 1977. Over 100 Dragonfly kits and complete machines were made between 1979 an 1987. Most sales have been within N America.

The design, developed from Plans originally published by the USDA in 1935, contains all essential elements for a rugged and adaptable machine. It is not hard to build or maintain, and can be assembled from materials collected during a stroll down almost any alley. It can provide power for a radio, fluorescent light, and a laptop, but not ordinarily enough for typical use of a color television, or refrigerator etc.

Dragonfly moved to the coast of Mendocino County (see pictures) in N. California to take advantage of the wind, but the people expected to be the market here can't afford the land to put one up, and the county required an environmental impact report for my parking place when I told them what I planned to build. The best wind sites here go to folks who want only an expensive hilltop or ocean view, because the world is beautiful without all the smog & clutter of development. So in my opinion, alternative energy would benefit from incentives to real estate developers rather than buyers, because most people are more easily moved by hormones than reason. Real estate salesmen could then gain financially from being advocates. Although a contribution to environmental preservation may seem to be un-patriotic, the financial return is actually higher than if the same money was invested in mutual funds.