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.
Was Anderson Indiana a Part of Wind Industry History?
By
Paul Gipe
I don’t have a good answer to that question. All I know is that I stumbled a cross a faded newspaper clipping at the Madison County Historical Society that pictured a wind turbine that I’d never seen before. Not only was it an unknown wind turbine—to me certainly—but that I’d never seen reference to it or its inventor Charles E. Miller before.
Still Turning: A History of Aermotor Windmills–A Review
By
Paul Gipe
Finally an answer to a question that has gnawed at me for decades: Where did one of the great windmill manufacturers of all time get the name Aermotor? Why not Aeromotor? That was the way I’ve spelled it—in error–many times. Why not Airmotor? That’s certainly what it was.
Catching the Wind of the World (the Aerodyn Story)—a Review
By
Paul Gipe
Den Wind der Welt einfangen is part of series of retrospectives being issued by pioneers in the field of wind energy as they near retirement. Written by freelance journalist Dierk Jensen, Catching the Wind of the World (the English title) traces the growth of a German company that designs wind turbines: Aerodyn.
Wind Power for the World: The Rise of Modern Wind Energy—a Review
By
Paul Gipe
Wind Power for the World tells an exciting tell of hope and promise—how a small band of activists, dreamers, and entrepreneurs built one of the world’s fastest growing and dynamic industries. It’s a must read for anyone who wants to understand how we got to where are today.
The Almost Forgotten Story Of The 1970s East Village Windmill
By
Shayla Love
I first heard of the East 11th Street windmill in hushed voices, over cafe con leches at a Cuban restaurant on Avenue C.
New Smith-Putnam Records Uncovered Include Log Books
By
Paul Gipe
Archivists at the York County Heritage Trust have uncovered a treasure trove of records from the 1.25 MW Smith-Putnam turbine …
