The evolution of wind-turbines: An historical review

The political and commercial forces leading to the harnessing of wind power and the spread of relevant technical knowledge are considered. Throughout the world, it appears that the introduction and use of windturbines during the past 2000 years has been guided more by the serendipity of enthusiasts, rather than by governmental encouragement. Thus, even now, wind, which is such a huge power resource, remains relatively neglected. Further central planning is needed in order to encourage investments in harnessing renewable, less-polluting forms of energy such as wind power. It would appear logical if at least 1 per cent of the annual nuclear research and development budget were now used to foster R and D in wind power. Unfortunately, successive British governments may have been mistaken even in the small investments already made in wind-turbine research by concentrating almost exclusively on large-scale systems. These may be a relatively poor financial option, in terms of kWh of wind energy harnessed per £ sterling expended, compared with the values of this index for smaller wind-turbines. So, as yet, a British export market has not been established.