News & Articles on History of Wind Power
This page was prompted by a technical question about early electricity-generating wind turbines in the United States. The question followed a similar question about “who was the first” to interconnect a wind turbine with an electricity network. There is a lot of confusion internationally about both subjects.
The history of wind energy is a broad subject and many have written about it. I’ve pulled together a list of sources, books, links, and museums that I know about. This list is far from comprehensive. If anyone wants to add to this list or edit this list, please do so.
A number of the entries below are reviews I’ve written of books that include the history of wind energy. The original book can usually be reached from the review. Other news items are relevant to the history of wind turbine development.
Wind Energy Group’s MS-3 Turbines Still Extant on Cold Northcott Farm in 2025
By
Paul Gipe
In a recent article about the history of the modern British wind industry, I featured photos of the Wind Energy …
In the Wake of Wind—the British Wind Story
By
Paul Gipe
In The Wake of Wind is a powerful 33-minute color film that tells the dramatic story of the rise of …
Dean Thomas Following in Father’s VAWT Footsteps
By
Paul Gipe
Dean Thomas, son of Robert Thomas, the designer of the Wind Harvest Vertical Axis Wind Turbine is still plugging away …
More on Wind Harvest History from Someone in the Know
By
Paul Gipe
I’ve previously written about the history of Wind Harvest’s Vertical Axis Wind Turbine from the mid 1970s. (See Wind Harvest …
Growian I and II: Germany’s Giant Failure
By
Paul Gipe
During the late 1970s Germany’s ministry for technological development BMFT (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) called Ulrich Hütter out of …
Rare Footage of Growian I and II Wind Turbines Posted
By
Paul Gipe
I’ve extracted rare footage of Growian I and II wind turbines from a promotional video by Nordex. The footage from …
