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.

Howdenatlamont02

The Howden Wind Turbine Theme Song—“Turn em On, Let em Run”

By

Paul Gipe

The Great California Wind Rush was the Wild West of wind energy. So it’s fitting that one of the songs …

Energi Museet 20120914 0022

Denmark’s Energy Museum Loses Funding—Will Close

By

Paul Gipe

Denmark’s Energimuseet (the Energy Museum), a “must see” for anyone working in the energy field, especially those of us in …

Koester Heide

Betz’s “Wind-Energy and its use by Windmills” 1926

By

Paul Gipe

Down the rabbit hole again. I got a request for a paper by German physicist Albert Betz that I didn’t …

Freidlander Wind Turbien 1881 Vienna Exposition 1200x630

Austrian was First with Wind-Electric Turbine Not Byth or de Goyon

By

Paul Gipe

The first person to generate electricity with a wind turbine was neither Scottish nor French as was previously believed. He …

Palm Springs Windmill Tour With Tom Spiglanin.

Kicking Iron in the San Gorgonio Pass–Palm Springs Windmill Tours

By

Paul Gipe

When my family reunion took place in Palm Springs a few weeks ago, I gave Tom Spiglanin a call. No …

20230404 Palm Springs Windmill Tour 0067

Backstories of the Palm Springs Windmills—a Review

By

Paul Gipe

Backstories of the Palm Springs Windmills by Thomas Spiglanin is a beautifully illustrated guide to the wind farms of the …