Old Idea New Again

Early colonists brought the technology of the Old World to America. They used windmills to harness the power of the wind. Colonial windmills pumped water, ground grain, and powered crude machines. Large wooden blades ran wooden parts that changed rotary power into usable energy for human work. But early windmills were expensive to build and needed constant attention and repair.

In 1854, the first commercial windmills were produced in America. The Halladay windmill automatically moved to face the wind direction. It could control its own speed. After the Civil War, Wheeler's Eclipse windmill improved on the old design. In place of wooden blades, a solid metal wheel was attached to a hinged vane (or tail), like a weather vane. By 1870, all-metal windmills were produced. As the use of iron and steel increased, more efficient curved-bladed windmills were made. With the invention of electricity, the electric pump replaced the windmill.

Today's search for sources of renewable energy has put the windmill back into use. Scattered across the prairies and plains of America, sleek 330 foot wind turbines rise over farm fields and grazing lands. One hundred-foot blades face the wind and rotate at an average speed of 18 miles per hour. Cattle and antelope graze and corn, wheat, and soybeans grow beneath them. Private landowners lease their land to wind farm owners. Wind farms bring additional tax dollars to the area. Enough energy is produced to power tens of thousands of homes. Through modern technology, an old idea has become new again.









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