Snowball plans for the windmill to operate as a dynamo which will supply the farm with electrical power and significantly improve the standard of living on the farm. Snowball tells the animals that the electricity produced from the windmill will light the stalls in the evenings and allow the animals to use power tools, which will make them more efficient and dramatically reduce manual labor on the farm. Snowball even declares that the windmill will make it possible for the animals to only work three days a week. Snowball's plans for constructing the windmill and improving the standard of living on the farm are popular among the animals; however, Napoleon strongly opposes Snowball's plans and the two rival pigs engage in heated debates over the topic of the windmill.
Tragically, Napoleon usurps power, steals Snowball's blueprints, and forces the animals to work long hours building the windmill. Even after construction, the windmill never operates as a dynamo, and the animals continue to live difficult lives on the farm.
In Chapter Five of Animal Farm, Snowball surveys the farmland and develops an idea to build a windmill. When he announces this idea to the others, his dreams for this project become clear. He talks about this "fantastic" machine, for example, and says that it can do their work for them while they "graze in fields" all day. In fact, after looking over the plans, Snowball declares that the windmill can reduce the animals' working week from six days to three. This is a significant reduction which makes his plans for the windmill very popular on the farm.
In addition to its labour-saving abilities, Snowball wants to use the windmill to generate electricity. This will enable the introduction of more labour-saving devices, like the plough, as well as the ability to provide heating and lighting to individual stalls in the barn.
It is this dream, however, which brings Snowball into conflict with Napoleon and which ultimately brings about his expulsion from the farm.
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