Tring Tring School, the lunch bell rung. All the children gathered in the mess hall for lunch. Among them were Sania, a fifth-grade student, and her friends, who were sitting together for the first time after the summer vacations.

The friends took turns sharing how they had spent their vacations. When it was Sania’s turn, she said that her father was a mechanical engineer working in China. This time, she had spent her summer vacation with him and had a wonderful time. 

At that point, Nailla asked what her father did in China, and Sania replied that he worked at a wind turbine plant, Curious, Nailla asked what a wind turbine was and what it did. Sania explained that her father told her wind turbines are powered by wind and are used to generate electricity. In today’s era, where environmental pollution is a major concern, such technology is very important.

Danish, who had been listening quietly, then asked Sania who invented the wind turbine. Sania admitted she didn’t know. The friends agreed they would ask their teacher in class. Thus, their conversation ended.

Sania and her friends may ask their teacher later, but for the knowledge of our esteemed readers, here is some historical insight. The concept and use of wind turbines date back to the 11th and 12th centuries AD. However, the first practical concept was introduced in 1883 by Austrian citizen Joseph Friedlander during the Vienna International Electrical Exhibition. His proposed wind turbine had a power capacity of 3.7 kilowatts and was connected to batteries. It successfully operated electric lamps, tools, and even a threshing machine.

JOSEPH FRIEDLANDER WINDTURBINE CONCEPT

Later, in July 1887, Scottish electrical engineer James Blyth modified the turbine to power his holiday home and added a charging machine. A few months afterward, an American inventor, Charles F. Brush with the help of a local university and some colleagues, developed an automatic turbine that stood 60 feet tall, weighed 40 tons, and could generate 12 kilowatts of electricity.

JAMES BLYTH WIND TURBINE

These advancements between 1883 and 1887 led to a growing appreciation of wind turbines in many developed countries. From 1900 to 1980, extensive efforts were made to manufacture and deploy wind turbines to address industrial needs and electricity shortages in rural areas. The highest production capacity during that time reached 22 kilowatts.

CHARLES F. BRUSH

The success of Joseph Friedlander's concept can be judged by the fact that today, most developed countries have progressed from land-based to offshore wind turbines. A recent example is China, which has established a large-scale wind power plant in the southern sea belt near Hainan Province.

CHINA OFFSHORE WINDTURBINE PLANT

According to conservative estimates, this plant covers an area of approximately 61,000 square meters and has the capacity to generate over 18.5 megawatts of electricity.

While the world continues to explore various options to meet the growing demand for energy, wind turbines hold special importance. In today’s modern era, many scientists and engineers are working to further innovate and improve this technology.

We invite our esteemed readers to share their valuable opinions in the comment box below.