Wind Energy History

The first examples in the history of wind energy include the mills used to grind flour in the Middle East and Northern Africa as long as 200BC, though they were undoubtedly used before to run on a power source other than wind energy. History doesn’t remember the name of the person who invented the first solar mill, but since then, direct driven wind energy has spread throughout the old world until today, when a single turbine is able to create enough energy for hundreds of households.

Clearly, the most ancient form of wind power is the first sails used to propel vessels on sea and river. There is no written history that goes back as far as this direct form of wind energy history, but this technology has been used for thousands of years.

The first windmills were simple extensions of those sails. Again, the kinetic energy of the wind was captured to perform simple mechanical tasks. The grinding of grain is something that every family did themselves, and like the gathering and hauling of water today in some parts of the world, needlessly occupied a great deal of an ancient woman’s day.

Throughout the course of history, a focus on wind energy alone will yield some very significant developments that profoundly changed people’s lives. When the wind driven water pump was introduced, the Dutch were able to reclaim land from the ocean, allowing the country to become far more prosperous and influential than it had been before. Widespread use of sail wing machines spread throughout the classical and late Roman world, allowing development on the island of Crete when there were very few other resources to utilize.

Anyone preparing a history that focuses on wind energy would do well to include the technological breakthroughs that created the first electric power generation. Because most systems turn a rotor through a full 360-degree turn, alternating current (AC) is very often generated, especially from the very large, megawatt systems that are used commercially today.

The first megawatt capacity generator in the history of wind energy was created in the US as a “proof of concept” in the 1940s that languished for years. Today’s wind driven power generating turbines include many refinements to make the machines less liable to break in high winds and make significant gains in efficiency. Along with solar power, wind power is due to make a very strong surge in the energy market place as the price of oil has significantly risen in recent years.