Sails and propeller type blades improved the windmill in the 1300's as central European countries began to use wind energy. The pin wheel-like horizontal-axis windmills of Holland are still easily recognizable and famous world wide.
Windmills in America
Early American colonists relied heavily on wind power to pump water and grind grain. They even used the power of the wind to cut lumber at sawmills. In the 1850's, the Halladay Windmill was developed specifically for the American West by Daniel Halladay and John Burnham, who later started the U.S. Wind Engine Company.
As more Americans used wind power to ease their lives, Thomas O. Perry experimented to refine the windmill. Using gears to reduce the blade rotation, Perry designed a more efficient mill that worked in lighter winds, had smoother pumping action and more lifting power. The Aeromotor Company was started by Perry and LaVerne Noyes.
By the 1880's over six million windmills spotted America. Windmills with steel blades were built by homesteaders, purchased from travelling salesmen or purchased through catalogs.
Generating Electricity from Wind
Electricity from wind power via a windmill was first produced in 1888 by Charles F. Brush. The Brush Electric Company of Cleveland OH was later bought by General Electric. By the time of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition boasted 15 windmill companies.
The Smith-Putnam wind turbine, with blade diameters of 175 feet supplied power to the community of Rutland, VT during World War II. The turbine was shut down in 1943 when it broke down, but was restarted in 1945 until a blade broke and the turbine was never restarted.
The 1950's saw most of the US windmill companies shut down, and they was little interest in wind generated power until the oil crisis of 1973.
Government Funded Advances in Alternate Energy Technology
As alternative energy sources were sought to combat the high oil prices caused by the oil embargo by OPEC, NASA, funded by the US Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, developed experimental wind turbines at the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
PURPA, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 encouraged using renewable energy. In 1980, The Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act made using renewable energy more economically feasible by rewarding businesses using wind power with Federal tax credits of up to 25%.
As electricity needs for the state of California increased, the state took measures to lock into rates using a contract system for renewable and cogeneration plants. Energy from wind farms and other renewable technologies became more cost competitive.
Government incentives and a growing market for electricity during the 1980's led to the increased installation of wind turbines. Although these turbines were inefficient, wind capacity in California grew. Wind power funding by the DOE reached its low point in 1980.
The Wind Energy Program of the DOE lowered technology costs in 1995, and the advanced turbine program enabled energy costs to decline as new wind turbines replaced the earlier, inefficient turbines of the 80's.
Stronger incentives for renewable energy sources, including wind, were provided by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Source:
U.S. Department of Energy website
Patrice Campbell - Patrice Campbell is a freelance writer working from the Denver, CO area. As an experienced news reporter and lifestyle writer, Patrice ...
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