When Was Wind Power Discovered?

The earliest recorded use of wind as a source of power dates back to 17th century BC. The Babylonian emperor Hammurabi, the historical records suggest, used wind power for his ambitious irrigation projects. Sail boats and sail ships have also been in use for at least 5,500 years.

Windmills, on the large scale, were built for the first time in the Sistan region of present day Iran during the 9th century AD. Unlike the most modern windmills, their blades were horizontal i.e. the axles were vertical. They were mainly used to pump water and other agricultural activities. The windmills spread from Iran to China, India and then to the rest of the world. The Europeans started using windmills sometime during the 11th century and they made a significant change in the designing of their windmills. They used horizontal axle windmills. They also used them to pump water and similar activities.
The 19th century witnessed the beginnings of use of windmills in industry and electricity production. The windmill designed and built by a French chemical engineer Camille Alphonse Faure in Kincardineshire, Scotland was the first windmill to be employed to produce electricity.

The 20th century saw Denmark emerging as a major player in the world, when it came to wind power. Almost a quarter of nation’s electricity demand is now met by wind-power. This is a big achievement for a nation where winds don’t blow at more than normal speed. The 21st century is witnessing China surfacing as the biggest producer of electricity produced through wind mills; it is already the second largest producer. The Chinese government has made the development of wind power sector a central plank of its energy security policy. Besides the wind turbines, sailboats, kite etc. also harness wind energy but using a different principle but they are mostly used for recreational purposes.

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