 The Story of Windmills!
There's more to these constructions than the Netherlands Windmill which adorns children's books and picture postcards. Can you believe that windmills have actually been with us now since 500-900 AD? It really is quite amazing that we in the modern age have gone back to basics of wind power for future innovation.
It's little wonder that windmill history goes back so far when considering what they can achieve from such a simple design. And because of the age and charm of so many windmills still standing from a forgotten era, it is hardly surprising that there are windmills for sale as folks queue up to convert them into homes, or trendy restaurants. Ye ole Amsterdam windmills may be few and far between in the twenty first century, but the windmills history is far from written as these fascinating buildings will surely continue to evolve over time and find a place in this and future societies.
Today's 'new' windmills are being constructed for quite another purpose of those the old grain grinding, water pumping workhorses of the past. It’s all to do with wind energy, or green energy if you like. The windmills history will have a new story to tell in future generations when documentaries and illustrated articles talk about the introduction of the power generating windmills of the twenty first century.
However, modern windmills are not without controversy. It has to be said that the newest windmills are much more efficient than older models. They are more streamlined and aerodynamic, but that doesn't alter the fact that they are noisy, unsightly (to many folks!) and require a lot of space. That's visual space occupied by coastlines and countrysides.
It's common knowledge in the West that Holland is famous for its windmills. It's little surprise then that the world's tallest windmills can be found here. The Dutch have always been very adept at using wind power and even today, their landscape is adorned with some fine examples from a past era. Some windmills were designed to operate upwind, with their blades facing the wind; others were designed to run downwind, facing away from the wind. Whatever their construction, windmills are machines designed to harness the wind and generate energy from its power. Today, you can find some of Holland's older windmills being used as a personal residence, as shops, or even converted to offices.
The new generation of windmills are very high-tech and a safe, and a proven alternative to the conventional generation. So it's hardly surprising that they are becoming more and more commonplace in modern times, especially in remote rural areas where other utilities don't exist. Of course, not all windmills are in Holland. In fact, in a world of energy turmoil and global warming, even personal windmills are becoming somewhat fashionable across Western Europe.
The modern day windmills are very strong, lightweight, weather-resistant, and aerodynamically designed machines, that produce electricity once attached to generators. These modern windmills are used to generate electricity in a way that doesn't harm the environment. So, the question is, do we need to use more windmills? The answer has to be an emphatic yes, which is why there's so much talk in political circles these days about using wind power as an alternative energy source.
If we refer back to the Netherlands, wind power has long been used to pump water, power shops, and grind grain. It's a known fact that wind power has been operating Dutch machinery for centuries, so we humans have known about it for a very long time, Historical reports show that the first windmills appeared around 2500 years ago. It's now time to embrace this old technology in the present and encourage more wind power for the good of the planet and its people for future generations. |
