Water-pumping windmills and renewable energy products such as electric fences and DC lights are also produced. Service centres in 60 of IMAR's 88 counties, financially supported by county governments, employ 300 technicians who handle distribution, customer education, and service. Technology transfer has centred on local adaptation of foreign products. The key development was local design changes that altered the power curve of Shangdu generators, increasing power output at lower wind speeds. Common problems involve batteries, blades, inverters, and charge controllers.
Service centres keep statistics on failure rates.
A technical board determines whether frequent failures result from quality defects or design flaws. Joint ventures with foreign wind turbine and electronics manufacturers are currently being sought to improve blades and inverters. The IMAR wind programme has led to dramatic changes in quality of life, providing lighting, conveniences, and access to the outside world for low-income inhabitants of this remote region. A common wedding gift is now a wind generator or television, illustrating the extent of the technology's integration into the pastoral lifestyle. Well-targeted subsidies have been effective.