By Glenda Sullivan

Don Quixote in front of a windmill

Photo by Glenda Sullivan

Sailboat at sunset on Chiemsee, Germany

Photo by Gipper Sullivan

Welcome to Kissamos, Crete!Kissamos is set in beautiful landscapes on the west of Crete 35 km from Chania and has about 15,000 inhabitants. The port of Kissamos links Crete to the nearest island of Kythira and the city's of Kalamata, Gythion and even Piraeus (Athens). As every place on Crete, its history goes far back, and its myths and traditions are still alive.

Welcome to Kissamos, Crete!

http://www.greekhotel.com/crete/chania/kissamos-windmills/home.htm

Situated in the area of Drapanias, 35 kilometers from Chania on the northwest coast of Crete, Kissamos Windmills Apartments: arouse the fantasy of every Don Quixote, but not to fight with them but to be captured by their friendly warm atmosphere. Perfectly designed apartments with TV, air conditioning, completely equipped kitchen, W.C. and bedroom . You can choose an apartment which has a traditional Cretan floor, a bedroom with an exotic view of Kissamos Gulf, just 100m away that is surrounded from the east by Cape Spatha and the west by Cape Gramvoussa .

There were once over 10,000 windmills in the Netherlands. Even today there are more than a thousand. And the number increases every year as mills are restored and replica mills built on historic mill sites. Windmills dominate, although there are watermills in the eastern provinces. Rivers in much of the country are however not suitable for watermills. But the flat, low lying land and strong prevailing wind mean that the windmill was widely developed as a source of power.

Multi-story windmills in the Netherlands

http://www.noord-holland-tourist.nl/uk/emolens.htm

There were of course many corn mills. Fortified cites had several mills on their ramparts. But the windmill was also the source of power for land drainage - including land below sea level. Some polders had large numbers of mills used to pump out water, before they were replaced by steam and electrical power.

http://www.noord-holland-tourist.nl/uk/emolens.htm

The wind was also an important source of power for industry and led to an early industrial revolution - particularly in the area to the north of Amsterdam known as the Zaanstreek. Today it is still possible to see working saw mills, oil mills, paint mills and a paper mill.

http://www.noord-holland-tourist.nl/uk/emolens.htm

Windmill with metal blades used for pumping water for stock and farm home water needs

Photo by Glenda Sullivan

In the late 19th century, multi-bladed windmills were used to generate electricity. This one is located at a rural home in Oklahoma.

Photos by Glenda Sullivan

Wind power is a renewable energy source because wind is inexhaustible. Our oil, natural gas, and coal will not last forever. For future generations, we need to be using wind resources now.

Wind power is non-polluting, cost effective, and environmentally friendly because it does not deplete our natural resources and it does not threaten our Earth’s global climate by increasing greenhouse gases. Each penny spent on wind power keeps a pound of carbon dioxide out of the air.

Governor Henry has singled out wind power as one of the state’s brightest economic development opportunities saying, “It’s one way Oklahoma can remain an energy state indefinitely.”

We have WIND!!!

We can clearly power homes and businesses while putting money in landowners’ pockets instead of in Wyoming’s coal mines.

Advantages:renewable resource

almost free and non-polluting; environmentally friendly

cost effective

Disadvantages:noise pollution

wildlife impacts

large tracts of land needed

intermittent

storage issues and transmission lines

The British Wind Energy Association http://www.offshorewindfarms.co.uk/im/images.html

Offshore Wind Energy off the UK

The Global Wind Economy

http://www.awea.org/projects/index/html

The Power

of Wind

U.S. installed wind-power capacity. Growth in recent years has been dramatic (Data from U.S. Dept. of Energy and American Wind Energy Association)

2003. Tarbuck and Lutgens, Earth Science, 10th ed.

California's Tehachapi PassThe Tehachapi Pass is one of the world's largest producer of wind-generated electricity. The more than 5,000 wind turbines in the Tehachapi-Mojave wind resource area of Kern County generate approximately 1.3 Terawatt-hours (1,300,000,000 kWh) per year. This is enough electricity to meet the residential needs of more than 500,000 Southern Californians or nearly one million Europeans.

http://www.ilr.tu-berlin.de/WKA/windfarm/tehcal.html

Palm Springs CaliforniaThese wind turbines are operating near Palm Springs CaliforniaPhoto by John Mead/Science Photo Library/Photo Researchers, Inc.

http://www.palmsprings.com/services/wind.html

2003. Tarbuck and Lutgens, Earth Science, 10th ed.

http://www.ocgi.okstate.edu/owpi/WindRes/neuralnetwork.htm

A BB

CC

OKLAHOMA WIND RESOURCES MAP

A

OKLAHOMA WIND RESOURCES MAP

BOKLAHOMA WIND RESOURCES MAP

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COKLAHOMA WIND RESOURCES MAP

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This wind rose is for a tall tower near Weatherford, OK and the measurements were made during the month of November 2003 at a height of 20 meters above the ground

Directional distributions of wind energy provided by wind roses are used to help position multiple turbines so that each turbine has a minimal effect on the others.

December 2003 Wind Summary: Weatherford Tower Sensors at 10m and 20m (.pdf document)

BLUE CANYON WIND FARM: SLICK HILLS

BLUE CANYON WIND FARM: SLICK HILLS

BLUE CANYON WIND FARM: SLICK HILLS

BLUE CANYON WIND FARM: SLICK HILLS

BLUE CANYON WIND FARM: SLICK HILLS

Wind Power Density Chart:

Wind Climatology: Weatherford Mesonet Station; Station ID: WEAT (.pdf document)

http://www.ocgi.okstate.edu/owpi/WindRes/wcreport/weatreport.pdf

Monthly variability of the wind at the Weatherford, OK site. Seasonal variation in the wind is clearly evident.

Annual Wind Power Density Chart:

Wind Climatology: Weatherford Mesonet Station; Station ID: WEAT (.pdf document)

This chart illustrates the annual variation in wind power for the Weatherford, OK site.

These wind climate products help wind farm developers, and potential buyers of small wind systems, better understand the local wind resource.

December 2003 Wind Summary: Weatherford Tower Sensors at 10m and 20m (.pdf document)

http://www.ocgi.okstate.edu/owpi/WindRes/weatherford/weatDecember2003report.pdf

Frequency distribution of winds speeds at 20 meters

Frequency distribution charts aid in the estimation of energy output from various types of turbines

December 2003 Wind Summary: Weatherford Tower Sensors at 10m and 20m (.pdf document)

Examine power point Installed Wind Power in the World from 1983-1999 graph.

http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/units/energy/windtomake.html

Advantages:renewable resource

almost free and non-polluting; environmentally friendly

cost effective

Disadvantages:noise pollution

wildlife impacts

large tracts of land needed

intermittent

storage issues and transmission lines

Windmills in the News…

www.windpowertrail.com