Wind Energy History

When one wants to look at wind energy history, they could trace its origins all the way back to ancient Egypt. This was the first civilization that used wind to power their sail boats. Using wind as power however came much later. The origin of the first windmill isn’t completely known but some claim it can be traced back over 2000 years to ancient Babylon.

Wind energy history seemed to go quite unchanged for some time. The next significant breakthrough came in the 10th century AD in Eastern Afghanistan. They created giant structures with wind catching devices. Some of these were as long as 16 feet with the entire structure reaching heights of over 30 feet. These windmills were mostly used for crushing grain.

The most familiar form of windmill, the multi-vane style was invented in the United States in the later half of the 19th century. From there wind energy continued to grow. By the end of 1889 there were 77 windmill farms nationwide and windmills soon became the number one export.

The 1930’s and 40’s saw another push in wind power. These windmills were used to provide power to farms that were out of reach of local power lines. The amount of power provided usually powered a few light bulbs and restored storage batteries. In the 1950’s wind power took a knock. Nearly all American household were attached to a grid to provide electricity. This put a stop to the need for wind turbines and windmills. No further developments were created for the next 20 years.

In the 1970’s there were two oil embargoes. The price of oil jumped up and forced many to consider alternative fuel sources. Sources such as solar and wind started to get regenerated.

When the energy crisis ended in the 1980’s, Wind power slumped again. However in recent years it has picked up again. The threat of global warming and climate change has once again sparked the interest in wind power.