Wind Energy Information
History
Charles F. Brush is the founder of the American electrical industry.
He invented e.g. a very efficient DC dynamo used in the public electrical grid, the first commercial electrical arc light, and an efficient method for manufacturing lead-acid batteries.
During the winter of 1887-88 Brush built what is believed to be the first automatically operating wind turbine for electricity generation. It was a, then giant, windmill with a rotor diameter of 50 feet with 144 rotor blades made of cedar wood. The turbine ran for 20 years and charged batteries in the cellar of his mansion.
Despite the size of the turbine, the generator was only a 12 kW model. This is due to the fact that slowly rotating wind turbines of the American wind rose type do not have a particularly high average efficiency. It was the Dane Poul la Cour , who later discovered that fast rotating wind turbines with few rotor blades are more efficient for electricity production than slow moving wind turbines.
Brush Electric was merged with Edison General Electric Company under the name General Electric Company (GE).
Wind Energy Timeline Link
Technologies
What we typically see on television, a huge wind turbine repeated across a valley or field, is the typical "wind farm" and is not what you would have on your individual property. For example, one larger wind turbine for your home may generate 1000 watts which equals one kw, whereas three smaller turbines may yield 500 watts each for a total of 1.5kw, for less money than the one larger turbine.
You shouldn't necessarily think of a wind turbine as a specific design -- it can be a three prop turbine, a classic windmill, a horizontal cylinder, a vertical cylinder on a post, or an artistic sculpture, etc. A lot depends on the space you have, and the design and orientation of your building or property.
Wind Energy Topics Link