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.

Transpower By Vaughn Nelson In Other Wind Turbines Fig 6b

Transpower—the Flying Clothesline from the Early 1980s

By

Paul Gipe

Transpower was another of those companies that thought they had a bright idea about how to harness wind energy in …

Wiskey Run Oregon 1985 Wtg 200kw Cropped

WTG Energy Systems’ MP-200 (1975-1982)

By

Paul Gipe

Who remembers WTG Energy Systems and its developer Alan Spaulding? I’d certainly forgotten about him and his wind turbine until …

Windstar By Wind Harvest Cec Report

Wind Harvest VAWT—a Jungian Vision (the Backstory)

By

Paul Gipe

While strolling through the Bakersfield Museum of Art this summer—yes, don’t laugh, we have an art museum here—I came across …

Howden

Howden Wind Farms: Scottish Adventure in the New World

By

Paul Gipe

The Great California Wind Rush (1980-1985) was on and like gold had done before it, the lure of riches drew …

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 …