History of Wind Power in North America
- Wind Energy in America: A History by Robert Righter-“The free benefit of the wind ought not be denied to any man.”
- Paul Gipe Wind Energy Comes of Age, John Wiley and Sons, 1995 ISBN 047110924X, Chapter 3
- Specific Rated Capacity of Wind Turbines in the 1980s–I am posting this data for its historical context and because the question of specific capacity has come to the fore as wind turbine manufacturers are now offering IEC Class IIIA turbines with very low specific capacities or, conversely, very high specific areas.
- A Wind Energy Pioneer: Charles F. Brush, Vindmølleindustrien (Danish Wind Industry Association)–po Dansk, 2001, pages 15-17.
- Hybrid Electric Home by Craig Toepfer–This is the kind of book I envision Mick Sagrillo diving into with its archival photos and illustrations not only of the early days of electricity but also the early days of small wind.
- A Bold Effort in Vermont: The 1941 Smith-Putnam wind turbine by Carl Sulzberger–This issue of the IEEE Power & Energy Magazine is the third biennial issue having wind-produced electrical energy as its theme. As with the earlier two issues, a major focus is the integration of wind power plants into electric utility systems.
- Reaping the Wind: How Mechanical Wizards, Visionaries, and Profiteers Helped Shape Our Energy Future by Peter Asmus a Review by Paul Gipe–Timing is everything. And Peter Asmus couldn’t have better timed the release of his book about the rise and fall of California’s wind industry. Just as California entered its first rolling blackouts this spring, Reaping the Wind (Island Press) entered distribution.
- A Field Guide to American Windmills by T. Lindsay Baker 1985–The definitive history of the American farm windmill. . .
- Windcharger.com–The purpose of this website is to provide a virtual meeting place for all people interested in the history and preservation of the wind powered battery generators known by the brand name “Wincharger” and originally manufactured in Sioux City, Iowa.
- Brief History of Windmills in the New World by T. Lindsay Baker is a web page written by the authority on American or “Chicago” water-pumping windmills.
- Solar Energy Research Institute’s Wind: An Energy Alternative (1980)–American Wind History Video. Almost corny by today’s standards. Opens with the Terry Mehrkam’s Dorney Park turbine before switching to DOE’s Mod 0A turbine at Clayton, New Mexico. Includes vintage footage of the Smith-Puthnam turbine operating atop Granpa’s Knob near Rutland, Vermont.
- Illinois Windmills–Web site dedicated to describing the historic windmills of the state of Illinois.
