Power from wind : a history of windmill technology / Richard L. Hills.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hills, Richard Leslie, 1936-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Windmills--History.

Windmills.

History.

Physical Description:

324 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Summary:

Since the inception of windpower around A.D. 1000, technology has been deployed to obtain the most economical power from wind. The author traces the evolution of this technology, concentrating on the growth in understanding of wind and charting crucial developments in windmill design. The history of the windmill is focused on Northwestern Europe, indicating the origins of the first horizontal windmills in Persia, Tibet, and China. Industrial applications such as in textiles, papermaking, and mining, are examined. Gradually, windmills were improved but were finally eclipsed by steam engines in the nineteenth century. The book concludes with a look at the re-emergence of windpower as a viable source of power in recent years in the wake of the energy crisis.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0521413982

OCLC:

28291171