On gearboxes and generators

Letter from Staffan Engström: The author writes: I have read your informative article on the elimination of gearboxes in wind turbines and the potential for use of permanent magnet generators with a great deal of interest (Windpower Monthly, November 2008). Of course, I appreciate that you mention the NewGen concept developed and promoted by my company, correctly citing the relevant figures. The information, however, that Ed Spooner was the original designer of the NewGen concept was wrong ... he and I developed our concepts quite independently of each other.