Power from Wind: A History of Windmill Technology

Softcover

ISBN 10: 052156686X ISBN 13: 9780521566865

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1996

Since the inception of windpower around 1000 AD, technology has been deployed to obtain the most economical power from wind. The author traces its technical evolution, concentrating on the growth in understanding of wind and charting crucial developments in windmill design. The history of the windmill focuses on North Western Europe, but Hills indicates the origins of the first horizontal windmills in Persia, Tibet and China. He also examines industrial applications such as in textiles, papermaking and mining. The book concludes with a look at the recent reemergence of windpower as a viable source of power in the wake of the energy crisis.

Book Description:

Since the inception of windpower around 1000 AD, technology has been deployed to obtain the most economical power from wind. This text traces its technical evolution, concentrating on the growth in understanding of wind and charting crucial developments in windmill design.

From the Back Cover:

The wind is a fickle source of power; with speeds frequently too low to be of sustained practical use, windpower has generally remained a marginal resource. Since the inception of windpower around AD 1000, technology has been deployed to obtain the most economical power possible form wind.