How much do you know about the history of wind power?

When and where was the first known windmill created?

• In China in the 3rd century.

• In India in the 9th century.

• In Persia in the 7th century.

• In Russia in the 7th century.

Answer explanation

The first known windmill was a vertical turbine invented in Persia, or present-day Iran, during the 7th century. These were used to grind grain and pump water. The design worked well, making its way to China, India, and eventually Europe, and was similar to the design of modern Savonius wind turbine.

The traditional European windmill became widespread around the year 1200, being especially common in Denmark and the Netherlands. They were used to mill grain. When did they start to get obsolete?

• In the 18th century.

• In the 20th century.

• In the 17th century.

• In the 15th century.

Answer explanation

The use of the windmill sharply declined during the industrial revolution, as wind power was rendered obsolete in the face of coal-powered machinery.

The first electricity-generating wind turbine was invented in Scotland in July of 1887. Professor James Blyth of Anderson College built a 10 meter high turbine with cloth sails in the garden of his cottage. What type of turbine was it?

• A vertical-axis Savonius turbine.

• A horizontal-axis turbine.

Answer explanation

It was used to power an accumulator, a type of battery, which provided light to his cottage. He offered to give the extra electricity to his neighboring village of Marykirk, but they turned it down. Professor Blyth’s turbine was a vertical-axis Savonius turbine.

Just a few months later, Charles F. Brush, an entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor, built a wind turbine in Cleveland, Ohio. It has a horizontal turbine, similar in appearance to a traditional windmill. The rotor had a 17-meter diameter mounted on a 18-meter tower. How many blades did the rotor have?

• 202

• 122

• 244

• 144

Answer explanation

The rotor had 144 blades and rotated slowly. It had a capacity of 12 Km, and was used to either charge Brush's batteries, or power the lighting and machinery in his laboratory.

Where were the first utility-scale wind turbines built in the 1930s?

• In the US.

• In the Soviet Union.

• In the UK.

• In Spain.

Answer explanation

In Yalta, in the former Soviet Union, a 100 kW turbine was erected in 1931. It remained in service for about ten years. The tower had a lattice design and was about 30 meters tall. The rotor was 30 meters in diameter and had three blades, similar to today’s wind turbines.

The first MW scale turbine was built in Castleton, Vermont, in 1941. Built by engineer Palmer Putnam, the turbine had a capacity of 1.25 MW and was connected to the power distribution system on a nearby mountain. It remained functional for just over...

• 10 hours

• 2 hours

• 1,100 hours

• 550 hours

Answer explanation

It remained functional for just over 1,100 hours, or about 45 days, before suffering a blade failure. Given wind turbine blades are constructed of very specific materials, the material shortage caused by World War II prevented any repairs. No turbine of this size would be built for another forty years.

Throughout most of the 20th century, coal and oil became the fuel of choice for a rapidly developing world. However, when in the 1970s shortages in the oil supply caused prices to skyrocket, the US government began to pour money into the development of alternative fuel sources. Which company lead a multiagency experiment into wind power with the goal of creating utility-scale wind-powered infrastructure in the US?

• Boeing

• NASA

• General Motors

• General Electric

Answer explanation

Between 1975 and 1996, a total of fourteen turbines were built and tested in various locations across the country. Some of the turbines built during this period were the largest to date. The largest of which, the MOD-5B, was the largest in the world when built in 1987. It had a rotor diameter of 100 meters and a 3.2 MW capacity.

In response to the oil crisis, California began handing out tax incentives to encourage the development of wind farms. Several wind farms sprouted up across the state, most notably the Altamont Pass Wind Farm. The towers built there gave rise to the current debate around...

• the dangers of wind turbines to birds.

• the noise the wind turbines make.

• the problem with recycling the turbines' blades.

Answer explanation

The first turbines at Altamont Pass were built on lattice-type towers, which attracted nesting birds. This proved fatal to the animals and gave rise to the current debate around the dangers of wind turbines to birds. The old turbines have long since been decommissioned, though the wind farm’s location in prime bird habitat still makes it a threat to local wildlife.

Which European country has one of the most robust wind industries in the world?

• Denmark

• UK

• Sweden

• Latvia

Answer explanation

Beginning in the late 1970s, the Danish constructed the world’s first multi-megawatt turbine in Tvind, a school for troubled youth. The red and white checkered turbine has a capacity of 2 MW and is still in use today. Whereas American engineers were motivated by oil prices, the Danish were spurred by climate concerns. They focused on mass-producing turbines to perfect aerodynamic efficiency while raising capacity.

This is the biggest wind farm in the world.

• Alta Wind Energy Centre, US

• Jaisalmer Wind park, India

• Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm, UK

• Jiuquan Wind Power Base, China

Answer explanation

Jiuquan Wind Power Base is the world’s biggest wind farm, with a planned installed capacity of 20GW. Also known as Gansu Wind Farm, it will feature 7,000 wind turbines installed across the Jiuquan, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Xinjiang, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces of Gansu, China.