Wind of change

This article from the Economist offers a detailed look inside wind energy. A technology that actually dates back to over 2,000 years ago, wind has been used for electricity since the 19th century with the use of windmills. While the technology has become much more sophisticated, especially in the last 30 years, the basic principles of capturing the wind for power remain the same. The amount of electricity being produced by wind power has grown exponentially since the late 1990s, much of it being used in both the United States and Europe. Despite the physical experience of the towers needed to harness the power of the wind (some people feel they are an eyesore), global wind resources are large enough to meet the world’s current energy needs.