Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Katherine Dykes
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge,
MA 02139, USA
dykesk@alum.mit.edu
5.1
Introduction
Energy from the wind has played an important role in the
productive activities of civilisations for nearly as long as historical
records exist, perhaps even longer. Despite this long history,
wind turbine technology used for the production of electricity
still receives a great deal of attention as a “novel” energy source.
In the most recent era of wind energy expansion beginning in
the wake of the 1970s oil embargo, wind electricity-conversion
systems (WECs)—modern wind turbines, became one of several
technologies that provided hope for the development of a society
powered by energy sources free from pollution.
However, support for the advance of the technology varied
considerably among the diferent stakeholders from the public
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