First Wind Turbine

October 19, 2008

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Profile America — Sunday, October 19th. As the cost of traditional sources of energy rises rapidly, more and more attention is being paid to renewable sources of energy. One of the ideas gaining an increasing following is generating electricity with large windmills. The first practical wind turbine goes back 67 years. It was on this day in 1941 that Palmer Putnam demonstrated his device at Grandpa’s Knob, Vermont. His wind turbine had blades 75 feet in diameter and generated 800 kilowatts from a wind velocity of 26 miles an hour. With homes in the U.S. using an increasing amount of electricity, the average residential bill has risen from $879 a year in 2000 to $1,154. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Famous First Facts, 3557
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 916
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html