Wind energy, derived from the work of air flow, is a renewable energy source that provides usable energy to humanity. The kinetic energy possessed by air flow is referred to as wind energy. Wind energy symbolizes the direction of future energy development and offers a more abundant energy source for global energy supply.
You might say: Wind energy, of course, comes from the wind. But do you know where wind comes from? Wind is a natural phenomenon on Earth, caused by the heat radiation from the sun. The sun's rays hit the Earth's surface, causing different areas to heat up unevenly, creating temperature differences and resulting in atmospheric convection movements that form wind. The kinetic energy formed by the movement of air is wind energy, and its size depends on wind speed and air density.
As a country with a long history, China is among the earliest to harness wind energy. As early as the pre-Qin era, our people used wind to pump water, irrigate fields, grind flour, and propel ships with sails. During the Shang Dynasty, sailing ships were in use, and the Han Dynasty book "Shi Ming" explained the character "fan" as "sail means a canopy spread by the wind." By the Han Dynasty, windmills were used for cleaning grain, desalinating seawater to make salt, and more. The "Ninghe Local Records" documented the use of "eight windmills to channel tidal water into ditches, allowing it to seep into the ground and be evaporated to form salt." The use of windmills at that time promoted the development of agriculture in China. In the 1950s, coastal areas of China commonly used windmills for pumping water for irrigation or salt production, with over 200,000 wind-powered water pumps in use along the Jiangsu coast alone.
Abroad, as early as the 2nd century BC, ancient Persians used vertical-axis windmills to grind rice. By the 10th century, Muslims employed windmills for water lifting, and by the 11th century, windmills had gained widespread use in the Middle East. In the 13th century, windmills reached Europe, becoming an indispensable prime mover by the 14th century. In the Netherlands, windmills were initially used to pump water from the Rhine Delta lakes and wetlands, later also for oil pressing and wood sawing. Following the 1973 oil crisis, with conventional energy supplies running low and the global ecological environment deteriorating, the development of wind energy has become a crucial reliable method for addressing energy needs in coastal islands, sparsely populated grasslands, and remote regions far from the power grid or where the grid is yet to reach.
As early as 1974, the United States initiated the Federal Wind Energy Program to assess the social and environmental issues in wind energy research and development, as well as to improve the performance and reduce the cost of wind turbines. The primary focus was on small wind generators under 100 kilowatts for agricultural and other users, and megawatt-scale wind power generation systems designed for power companies and industrial users. Today, the U.S. is one of the countries with the largest installed capacity of wind turbines in the world, and it continues to grow at a rate of at least 10% annually.