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Using Wind to Produce Energy is Not a New Idea

Wind propelled the sailing ships that led to the discovery of the New World. But even before, wind was used to pump water, grind grain, power mills and produce paper. In fact, wind was one of the primary sources of energy before the Industrial Revolution.

Immigrants brought wind machines to America, where they were used extensively to pump water for human use, irrigate crops and pump water for steam locomotives.

Since the mid-1800s, many small windmills have been erected in the United States.

Names like Jacobs and Wincharger were common during the 1930s and 1940s as small wind machines provided energy for millions of rural Americans. These small generators were usually connected to a series of batteries, which stored the energy. Most of these units were ultimately replaced by the powerlines of the rural electric associations.

But while wind generators of less than 1 horsepower were lighting bulbs and heating irons throughout rural America, engineers were looking at much larger units. This work culminated in the U.S. during the early 1940s with the construction of a 1.25 MW unit near Rutland, Vermont. The machine produced power for the local utility until 1945, when a combination of equipment failure and the availability of cheaper electric power led to the unit's demise.

Following the Vermont experience, work on larger-scale wind generators continued on a limited basis, both here and abroad.

In 1975, a 100 kW unit went up near Sandusky, Ohio. The federally-sponsored test unit used two blades located on a horizontal axis, faced downwind, and sat atop a 100-foot tower. Machines of increased output and refined design subsequently were built at Clayton, New Mexico; Boone, North Carolina; and other locations.

These large-scale test generators were the forerunners of the units designed for the Medicine Bow area.

 

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