Alternative Wind Energy

Alternative wind energy is not a new concept (by any means). Winds have always been blowing on the earth, and they will always continue as long as climate changes cause weather.

People have attempted using their limited technological knowledge throughout history to capture the power of the wind.

There are multiple examples that can readily be found, and some were quite successful for their time...

The History of Wind Power

People have been harnessing wind energy since early/ancient times. The Egyptians used sails on ships to travel up and down the Nile River over 5000 years ago.

Windmills were even used in early human history. The first windmills were used to grind wheat, corn and other grains.

We find windmills used again in history by the early American colonials. They used them to grind grain and wheat, pump water, and power sawmills for cutting lumber.

In the 1920s, smaller individual windmills were actually used in rural locations to generate electricity – independent from electric companies.

Why did we stop using windmills?

Very simply, as power lines were used more and more to carry electricity to more and more rural areas (during the 1930s), these individual windmills were used less and less. Eventually, everyone was “on the grid” and using electricity provided by electric companies.

Many discussions have taken place concerning what life would be like if these independent windmills were still being used.

The Re-Awakening of
Alternative Wind Energy

The first shortages of oil in the 1970s caused everyone to start looking again to different ways to have/create electricity without depending on fossil fuel to produce it. “Pioneering” people in the 1980s (primarily in California) started looking again at wind power and alternative methods for producing electricity and energy.

Windmills, again, were making their re-entry into the limelight as a way to produce power. More people were looking at windmills as the answer.

So far, California is still ahead of the game. They still produce more than twice as much wind energy as any other state in the U.S.

However, other states (and people) are beginning to invest in alternative wind energy for long-term power production. Massachusetts is planning the first offshore wind park off of the coast of Cape Cod (appropriately called the Cape Cod Wind Project).

If you'd like to build your own power-generating windmill(s) for less than a hundred dollars, check out Off Grid Living. If you don't have a lot to invest and you still want your own wind power at home, they are an excellent source of information on how to build your own windmill very cheaply using everyday materials.

How Do Windmills Work? Just like the old windmills the Dutch used to use (or toy pinwheels), windmills of today work on the same principal. The blades on a windmill have an airfoil shape (much like the wing of an airplane), and this shape causes the blades to turn when they “attempt” to slow down (or get in the way of) the wind. As the blades turn on a drive shaft that is connected to an electric generator, electricity is produced.

Return from Alternative Wind Energy to Home