Utilities - Electricity, Energy Technology, Renewable Power Resources
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Overview
This compelling saga is the history of the effort to capture the power of the wind for electricity. Environmental historian Robert W. Righter has included in his narrative the first European windmills, the nineteenth-century electric experiments that empowered rural America, and finally, the immense, acres-wide wind farms that feed the power grid in late-twentieth-century California and elsewhere. Righter tells lively tales not only of eccentric inventors and technical innovations but also of the politics of the power industry, past and present. From his thorough research in a variety of archival sources, he describes how individuals and small businesses have contributed the most to wind-energy development, concluding that for rural America at least, an individual, decentralized power system is a reasonable alternative. Wind Energy in America, however, does not end in the past. Well over one-third of the narrative focuses on the contemporary development of wind energy and the international race for dominance in the wind-turbine business. Righter is courageous enough to take a stand regarding federal government research efforts (SERI, NRAL) and the crucial role of public and private power companies. He also explores the arguments of people and organizations opposed to the spread of wind generators - paradoxically, often the same environmental groups that hailed wind energy as a savior in the late 1970s.Editorials
Booknews
Relates the history of the efforts to capture the power of wind for electricity, from the first European windmills to California's wind farms of the late 20th-century, examining inventors and technical innovations as well as the politics of the power industry. Describes individual and small-business contributions to wind energy development, concluding that an individual, decentralized power system is a reasonable alternative for rural America. Includes b&w photos. Of interest to environmentalists and general readers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)Book Details
Published
April 1, 1996
Publisher
University of Oklahoma Press
Pages
336
Format
Hardcover, 1996
ISBN
9780806128122