Wind Power-The Early Days

Wind power has benefited mankind for a long time. Over the last 6000 years, man has used wind power to grind grain, pump water, and make electricity. Currently, wind power is considered the fastest growing source of electricity in the world. The United States can presently generate more than 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the wind, which is enough to power 2.5 million average American homes. In the future, wind power could provide enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 10 million homes in the US by 2010. Wind power is used in large scale wind farms for national electrical grids, as well as in small individual turbines for providing electricity to rural residences.

Examples of early wind power machines were those used in Persia around 200 BC, and were introduced into the Roman Empire by 250 AD. However, the first practical windmills were built in Afghanistan, in the 7th century. These were vertical axle windmills, made of six to twelve sails covered in reed matting or cloth material. These early windmills were used to grind corn and to draw up water. By the 14th century, Dutch windmills were in use to drain areas of the Rhine River delta. By 1900, there were about 2500 windmills in Denmark, used for running pumps and grain mills.

To learn more about wind power, or other wind-related subjects, please visit Vertical Wind Turbines.