Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1

Wind Power

1.1 Wind Resource 1-2

Wind Shear • Wind Maps • Wind Turbines

1.2 Wind Farms 1-9

Small Wind Turbines • Village Power • Wind Diesel • Other • Performance

1.3 Institutional Issues 1-17

1.4 Economics 1-18

1.5 Summary 1-21

References 1-22

Vaughn Nelson

West Texas A&M University

Before the industrial revolution, wind was a major source of power for pumping water, grinding grain, and long-distance transportation (sailing ships). Farm windmills for pumping water are still being manufactured and used around the world [1], with the peak use in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s when there were over 6 million.

During the 1930s, small wind systems (100 W to 1 kW) with battery storage were installed in rural areas; however, these ...