Wind Power Timeline

500-900 AD

The first windmills were developed in Persia for pumping water and grinding grain.

about 1300

The first horizontal-axis windmills (like a pinwheel) appeared in Western Europe.

late 1880s

The development of steel blades made windmills more efficient. Six million windmills sprung up across America as settlers moved west.

1888

Charles F. Brush used the first large windmill to generate electricity in Cleveland, Ohio. The windmill starts to be called "wind turbine." In later years, General Electric acquired Brush's company, Brush Electric Co.

1941

On a hilltop in Rutland, Vermont, "Grandpa's Knob" wind turbine supplied power to the local community for several months during World War II.

1973

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC) oil embargo caused the prices of oil to rise sharply. High oil prices increased interest in other energy sources, such as wind energy.

1974

In response to the oil crisis, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed a two-bladed wind turbine at the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Unfortunately, the design did not include a "teetering hub"- a feature very important for a two-bladed turbine to function properly.

1977-1981

·  New types of two-bladed turbines (MOD-0, MOD-1, MOD-2) were developed and tested.

·  The first wind turbine rated over 1 megawatt (MOD-1),
began operating in 1979.The MOD-1, had a 2-megawatt capacity rating.

·  The improved design of the MOD-2s included a "teetering hub." The MOD-2s operated for several years on the Columbia River, and could each power up to 630 households for a year.

1978

·  The Department of Energy's (DOE) budget for wind power research in 1978 was $59.6 million. This was the first time that the budget was more than $50 million.

·  The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) required utility companies to buy a percentage of their electricity from non-utility power producers. PURPA has been an effective way of encouraging the use of renewable energy.

1980

The Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act further increased tax credits for businesses using renewable energy. The Federal tax credit for wind energy reached 25% and rewarded businesses choosing to use renewable energy.

1983

Because of a need for more electricity, California utilities contracted with facilities that qualified under PURPA to generate electricity independently. The price set in these contracts was based on the costs saved by not building the planned coal plants.

1985

Many wind turbines were installed in California in the early 1980s to help meet growing electricity needs and take advantage of incentives. By 1985, California wind capacity exceeded 1,000 megawatt, enough power to supply 250,000 homes. These wind turbines were very
inefficient.

1988

Many of the hastily installed turbines of the early 1980s were removed and later replaced with more reliable models.

1989

Throughout the 1980s, DOE funding for wind power research and
development declined, reaching its low point in fiscal year 1989.

1990

More than 2,200 megawatts of wind energy capacity was installed in California--more than half of the world's capacity at the time.

1992

Energy Policy Act - The Act reformed the Public Utility Holding Company Act and many other laws dealing with the electric utility industry. It also authorized a production tax credit of 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour for wind-generated electricity.

1993

U.S. Windpower developed one of the first commercially available variable-speed wind turbines, the 33M-VS, over a period of 5 years. The final prototype tests were completed in 1992.  The $20 million project was funded mostly by U.S. Windpower, but also involved Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Pacific Gas & Electric, and Niagara Mohawk Power Company.

1995

·  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) prohibition on QF contracts above avoided cost was implemented. In a ruling against the California Public Utility Commission, FERC refused to allow a bidding procedure that would have the effect of allowing rates above avoided cost from renewable Qfs.

·  The DOE wind program lowered technology costs. DOE’s advanced turbine program, funded at $49 million, has led to new turbines with energy costs of 5 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity generated.

Mid-1990s

·  Standard Offer Number 4 contract rollovers in California led to lower rates being paid to the Qualifying Facilities (QF). The ten-year QF contracts written during the mid-1980s (at rates of 6 cents per kilowatt hour and higher) began rolling over at mid-1990s to match the avoided costs (about 3 cents per kilowatt hour). This "11th-year cliff" created financial hardships for most QFs on these contracts.

·  Kenetech, the producer of most of the US-made wind generators, faced financial difficulties and sold off most of its assets and stopped making wind generators.

1999-2000

Installed capacity of wind-powered electricity generating equipment exceeded 2,500 megawatts. Contracts for new wind farms continued to be signed.

2005

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 strengthened incentives for wind and other renewable energy sources.

The U.S. government developed a newfound interest in wind power after the oil embargoes of the 1970s left the country feeling vulnerable about energy supplies. The U.S. Federal Wind Energy Program was created at that time, and California became a showplace for large-scale wind farms. Some 17,000 machines of 20 to 350 kilowatts (producing 1,700 megawatts in total) were installed between 1981 and 1990. A 15 percent federal energy credit helped, as did a 50 percent California energy credit (both were gone by the mid-1980s).
Unfortunately, many of the California windmills suffered from insufficient development time and operating difficulties, including the well-known Transpower wind farm in the Tehachapi Mountains. Compounding the difficulties, the tax credits were issued on the basis of “installed generator capacity” rather than the actual output of the wind turbines.
After many rushed American designs failed to deliver on their promises, the much healthier Danish wind business had captured 50 percent of the U.S. market by 1986. U.S. companies, including U.S. Windpower, Zond Systems (since acquired by Enron, then by General Electric, a powerhouse today), Southwest Wind Power and Bergey Windpower, gradually began a comeback in the 1990s.
AWEA says the U.S. wind industry will install up to 3,000 megawatts of new capacity by 2009. If that proves true, the U.S. will have nearly 10,000 megawatts of wind power, enough to power three million homes. The economics of wind are looking increasingly good. The cost of generating a kilowatt-hour of electricity from wind power has dropped from $1 in 1978 to five cents in 1998, and is expected to drop even further, to 2.5 cents. Wind turbines themselves have dropped in installed cost to $800 per kilowatt. Although, according to the Financial Times, wind power is still twice as expensive as generation from a modern oil-fired plant, federal subsidies and tax benefits available in many countries level the playing field.

Just as solar power technology accelerated during the oil embargo of 1973 - 1974, wind power made large strides. Westinghouse Electric Company received Department of Energy (DOE) / NASA contracts for building large scale wind turbines. The greatest capacity wind turbine was built in Oahu, Hawaii, with a 3.2 MW power rating.

A 25% tax credit for investors of wind turbines was made through the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978. Between 1981 and 1984 6,870 turbines were installed in California.

At the end of 1983, there were around 4600 wind turbines operating out of California. These turbines together produced 300000 KW of electricity.

The change in prices of wind power electricity dropped from 14 cents per kWh in 1985 to 5 cents per kWh in 1994 making wind power a much greater competitor in the electricity market.-