Power from the wind

This is the story of the Putnam-Smith Wind turbine, how it came into existence atop Grandpa's Knob in Western Vermont, and the technical challenges in selecting the design and location. The book is well organized like a statistics or engineering thesis, but contains a wealth of anecdotal analysis and practical information presented in what is now a historical frame of reference. Individual chapters offer excellent resources for many disciplines including statistical analysis, meterology (the party conducted a 5 year wind regime study), ecology and engineering. What I liked most about the book was the patience evident in the process of development. Too often today we see projects rushed ahead without due study. Not only was a 5 year study of wind flow over mountain ridges conducted, designs from 4 other countries were considered before a unique design for a wind turbine emerged. While some of the specifications are no longer relevant due to technological advancements, other areas of detail no doubt remain relevant and interesting to anyone with a mind for engineering, invention or with an appreciation of ecologically sound power generation.