When was the first wind turbine made?

People used wind energy to propel boats along the Nile River as early as 5,000 BC. By 200 BC, simple wind-powered water pumps were used in China, and windmills with woven-reed blades were grinding grain in Persia and the Middle East.

New ways to use wind energy eventually spread around the world. By the 11th century, people in the Middle East were using wind pumps and windmills extensively for food production. Merchants and the Crusaders brought wind technology to Europe. The Dutch developed large windpumps to drain lakes and marshes in the Rhine River Delta. Immigrants from Europe eventually took wind energy technology to the Western Hemisphere.

American colonists used windmills to grind grain, to pump water, and to cut wood at sawmills. Homesteaders and ranchers installed thousands of wind pumps as they settled the western United States. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, small wind-electric generators (wind turbines) were also widely used.

The number of wind pumps and wind turbines declined as rural electrification programs in the 1930s extended power lines to most farms and ranches across the country. However, some ranches still use wind pumps to supply water for livestock. Small wind turbines are becoming more common again, mainly to supply electricity in remote and rural areas.

Traditional Dutch windmill

Source: Stock photography (copyrighted)

Modern wind turbines

Source: Stock photography (copyrighted)

Wind energy use expanded in the wake of oil shortages and environmental concerns

The oil shortages of the 1970s changed the energy environment for the United States and the world. The oil shortages created an interest in developing ways to use alternative energy sources, such as wind energy, to generate electricity. The U.S. federal government supported research and development of large wind turbines. In the early 1980s, thousands of wind turbines were installed in California, largely because of federal and state policies that encouraged the use of renewable energy sources.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the U.S. federal government established incentives to use renewable energy sources in response to a renewed concern for the environment. The federal government also provided research and development funding to help reduce the cost of wind turbines and offered tax and investment incentives for wind power projects. In addition, state governments enacted new requirements for electricity generation from renewable sources, and electric power marketers and utilities began to offer electricity generated from wind and other renewable energy sources (sometimes called green power) to their customers. These policies and programs resulted in an increase in the number of wind turbines and in the amount of electricity generated from wind energy.

The share of U.S. electricity generation from wind grew from less than 1% in 1990 to about 9.2% in 2021. Incentives in Europe have resulted in a large expansion of wind energy use there. China has invested heavily in wind energy and is now the world's largest wind electricity generator. In 1990, 16 countries generated a total of about 3.6 billion kWh of wind electricity. In 2020, 129 countries (including Puerto Rico) generated about 1,597 billion kWh of wind electricity.

Last updated: March 30, 2022, with most recent annual data available at the time of update.

For centuries, people have harnessed the wind's energy for electricity. But how did it develop into a clean, abundant and free solution to tackling global warming? By Niki Nixon

Fri 17 Oct 2008 15.39 BST

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July 1887, Glasgow, Scotland
The first windmill for electricity production is built by Professor James Blyth of Anderson's College, Glasgow (now Strathclyde University). The professor experiments with three different turbine designs, the last of which is said to have powered his Scottish home for 25 years.

Winter 1887 – Ohio, US
Professor Charles F. Brush builds a 12kW wind turbine to charge 408 batteries stored in the cellar of his mansion. The turbine, which ran for 20 years, had a rotor diameter of 50m and 144 rotor blades.

1890s – Askov, Denmark
Scientist Poul la Cour begins his wind turbine tests in a bid to bring electricity to the rural population of Denmark. In 1903, Poul la Cour founded the Society of Wind Electricians and in 1904 the society held the first course in wind electricity. La Cour was the first to discover that fast rotating wind turbines with fewer rotor blades were most efficient in generating electricity production.

1927 – Minneapolis, US
Joe and Marcellus Jacobs open the Jacobs Wind factory, producing wind turbine generators. The generators are used on farms to charge batteries and power lighting.

1920s
The first vertical axis wind turbine, the Darrieus turbine, is invented by Frenchman George Darrieus who in 1931 has it patented in the US. The design, often referred to as the "eggbeater windmill", due to the appearance of its two or three blades, is still used today.

1931 – Yalta, former USSR
A precursor to the modern horizontal wind generator is used in Yalta, generating 100kW. The turbine has a 30m tower and a 32% load factor, meaning it provides 32% of its potential energy output, pretty good even by today's standards.

1941 – Vermont, US
The world's first megawatt wind turbine is built and connected to the power grid in Castleton, Vermont. The turbine has 75-foot blades and weighs 240 tons.

1956 – Gedser, Denmark
The Gedser wind turbine is built by Johannes Juul, a former student of Poul la Cour. The 200kW, three-bladed turbine inspired many later turbine designs, and Juul's invention - emergency aerodynamic tip breaks – is still used in turbines today. The turbine operated until 1967 and was refurbished in the mid 1970s at the request of Nasa.

1970s – Ohio, US
The United States government, led by Nasa, begins research into large commercial wind turbines. Thirteen experimental turbines are put into operation and the research paves the way for many of the multi-megawatt technologies used today.

1980 – New Hampshire, US
The world's first windfarm consisting of 20 turbines is built in New Hampshire. The windfarm however, is a failure as the turbines break down and the developers overestimate the wind resource.

1981 – Washington and Hawaii, US
In 1981 the 7.5mW Mod-2 is build by Nasa, followed in 1987 by the 3.2mW, two-blade wind turbine Mod-5B. Both turbines break records for diameter and energy output.

1991 – Vindeby, Denmark
The first offshore windfarm is created in Vindeby, in the southern part of Denmark. The windfarm consists of 11 450kW turbines.

1991 – Cornwall, UK
The UK's first onshore windfarm is opened in Delabole, Cornwall. The farm consists of 10 turbines and produces enough energy for 2,700 homes.

2003 – north Wales, UK
The UK's first offshore windfarm is opened. North Hoyle offshore windfarm is located 7-8km off the north Wales coast between Prestatyn and Rhyl and consists of 30 2mW turbines.

2007 - Stirling, UK
Installed capacity of wind power in the UK reaches 2gW, with the opening of the Braes O'Doune windfarm, in Scotland, which produces 72mW of power.

The EU sets the UK government a target to increase the contribution of renewables to UK electricity to 20% by 2020 as part of efforts to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy security.

There are currently 186 operational windfarms in the UK (both onshore and offshore) with 2,120 turbines creating enough energy to power the equivalent of 1,523,052 homes and saving 6,156,175 tonnes of carbon. There are 42 in construction, with a further 134 consented and 268 in planning.

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