Wind Power

Peter Musgrove's wind power interests go back to 1974 when he was teaching engineering at Reading University. Though wind power was then the UK's least favoured renewable energy option he strongly argued the case for large offshore wind farms and gained recognition for their potential. He was also very much involved in the UK vertical axis wind turbine programme through the 1970s and 1980s. He was one of the prime movers in the 1978 formation of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) and was its first Chairman. He left academia for industry in 1988 and as National Wind Power's Head of Development through the 1990s was involved in all aspects of wind farm development and wind turbine assessment. He retired in 2003 and was given the BWEA's first Lifetime Achievement Award.

Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Wind power and our energy needs - an overview; 2. The first windmills; 3. Seven centuries of service; 4. Generating electricity - the experimental years, 1887 to 1973; 5. Evolution of the modern wind turbine, 1973 to 1990; 6. Progress and economics in Europe, 1973 to 1990; 7. UK progress, 1973 to 1990; 8. Development and deployment, 1990 to 2008; 9. The future: from marginal to mainstream; Appendix 1. The power output from wind turbines; Appendix 2. The performance of traditional windmills; Appendix 3. Wind characteristics; Notes to chapters; Notes to Appendices; References; Index.