Wind Energy
Wind, like water, is a phenomenon regulated by the sun, which warms the earth’s crust irregularly creating air movements from colder to warmer places. Therefore, wind energy is the energy produced by the moving of air masses in areas with different atmospheric pressure.
Sailing is one of the first examples of the natural energies exploitation as motive-power. Already in 2500 B.C. the ancient Egyptians used sailing boats exploiting wind energy to move quickly on rivers and seas. After sail people used mechanical mills. Already in the 17 th century the Babylonian king Hammurabi designed a system for the irrigation of the Mesopotamian plain through the building of windmills connected to wheels for the lifting and distribution of water. Therefore, windmills were widely used in Mesopotamia , China and Egypt . In Europe they appeared only after the Middle Ages and their design was very different from the previous ones.
Windmills as well as water wheels were used in Europe for the following purposes: grinding of wheat and cereals, olives pressing, water lifting, mechanical energy for hammers and sawmills, ext.
From the middle of 1300 the windmill had an essential role in Holland for reclaiming and emptying the fenlands. These windmills fully accomplished their task till the appearing of the electrical pumping systems. Up to 1850 at least 9000 windmills functioned.
In America the windmill technology for the water pumping is still very widespread with millions of systems installed (from about 1880). |
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WIND GENERATORS
Only at the beginning of the 20th century we can speak about wind energy applied to the electrical generation in Europe . In fact during the First World War (1915) some hundred machines with powers till 30KW were functioning.
After the First World War the technology developed more and more realising wind generators till 1200KW. In the Netherlands and in particular in Denmark a programme for the national electrical needs began thanks to the use of big wind generators. Denmark became leader in Europe in the study and realisation of middle-size and big wind generators.
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