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The Invention of the Wind Turbine and Its Impact on Renewable Energy
An overview of wind turbines, from the first experimental electric windmills of the 1880s to today's grid-connected machines, and their place in electricity supply.
Energy and Water
Wind Power
Turbines, blades and wind farms, from old windmills to modern electricity.
The Development of the Wind Turbine: A Renewable Energy Source
How turbine design changed over time: horizontal versus vertical axis machines, taller towers, gearboxes and the control systems that keep modern turbines safe.
The History of the Wind Turbine: From Ancient to Modern Times
Ancient wind devices were not wind turbines. This article separates the myths from the record and shows how wind power shifted from mechanical work to electricity.
The History of the Windmill: From Ancient Times to Modern Uses
How windmills were used to pump water and drain land, from Dutch polders to the American plains, and why these machines mattered to farms and railroads.
The Invention of the First Wind Turbine: A Sustainable Energy Source
Who built the first electricity-making windmill? James Blyth, Charles Brush and Poul la Cour all have a claim, and their 1880s and 1890s machines differed widely.
The Invention of the Wind Energy Generator and Its Impact on Renewable Energy
Small wind generators brought lights and radio to farms and remote homes in the early 1900s, before power lines arrived. Here is how they worked and why they faded.
The Invention of the Wind Energy Turbine and Its Impact on Renewable Energy
How wind farms appeared, from the first groups of turbines in 1980 to California's wind rush, Denmark's cooperatives and the move to offshore and floating sites.
The Invention of the Wind Turbine Blade and Its Impact on Renewable Energy
How wind turbine blades evolved from cloth sails and wooden slats to airfoil shapes, fiberglass and carbon fiber, and why longer blades capture so much more wind.
The Marvel of the Windmill: Harnessing the Power of the Wind
How the grain-grinding windmill worked, from early Persian vertical-axis mills to European post and tower mills, with the gears, sails and millstones inside.
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