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.
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 …
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 …
Smith-Putnam Photos Newly Posted
By
Paul Gipe
We’ve finally posted the nearly 70 photos of the construction of the famous Smith-Putnam wind turbine of the 1940s on …
Smith-Putnam Patents & Patent Drawings
By
Paul Gipe
While searching for an original copy of the Smith-Putnam film, Gabriel Altman came across the patents for the turbine by …
Palmer Putnam’s 1 MW Wind Turbine
By
External Source
This article was initially published in Today’s Engineer on May 2013 from https://ethw.org/Palmer_Putnam’s_1.5_MW_Wind_Turbine Supplying electrical power generated from wind to …
Smith-Putnam Wind Tunnel Tests
By
Paul Gipe
Prior to construction of the Smith-Putnam wind turbine Palmer Putnam ordered wind tunnel tests of various blade designs and blade …