Small Wind

Preface

The word small is a relative term in that it often means something different to almost everyone. The size of small wind turbines has been changing since the beginning of the use of wind power to grind grain and pump water. Wind turbine sizes in today’s small wind category include all but a handful of machines that were constructed prior to 1980. Some notable large wind turbines built before 1980 include the Smith–Putman built in 1941, the John Brown built in 1955, and the Gedser erected in 1957. Several countries in Europe were experimenting with larger wind turbines in the 1950s, but abandoned most development because of the abundance of low-cost petroleum. Many of the first wind turbines installed in wind farms in California, Denmark, ...