Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, this “next big thing” is actually a throwback to another era – one when people did not enjoy the health and quality of life that we do now.
Take a look at 1800, when humans used more than 450 times less energy than they do now, nearly all of which was sourced from biomass. At that time, our life expectancy wasn’t even 40 years, while malnutrition and illness kept people from growing. Our fortunes didn’t start turning around until coal was used at scale.
However, the use of wind as a source of energy actually goes back much further. It was used to power sailboats in Mesopotamia, assisting transportation until the Persians developed the first windmills to pump water and grind grain somewhere between 500 and 900 A.D. and eventually becoming widespread throughout Europe in the 17th century.
Was it a smart idea? Absolutely. It meant people could accomplish more. But some of the drawbacks that drove societies away from wind power are the same ones this “green energy” source is facing today, chief among them is the inability to store it. That’s why its use was limited back then to pumping water into livestock tanks, milling grain into flour, and sawing lumber into boards...<<<Read More>>>...