People have always talked a lot about the weather in the UK.
But did you know wind has a special place – both in the hearts of Brits, as well as Brits having a special place in the history of wind?
CAN YOU FEEL IT? The answer is still blowing in the wind. Especially in the UK.
The weather forecast could probably have been a tad better in Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, this summer's day in 1887. But for electrical engineer James Blyth it was just perfect. He was fooling around with wood and canvas when he realized the wind whistling around his ears could be used to give electricity to his holiday cottage.
Not long thereafter the world's very first windmill capable of producing electricity – 10 meters high – was placed in his garden. Although it did not look the way you might think it did.
This wind mill was not one of those three-blade propeller turbines rotating horizontally. No, the very first time a human took advantage of the blowing power of the wind to make electricity was with a so-called VAWT.
And what is this, you may ask?
A wind turbine that rotates vertically, hence the “V” in the beginning: Vertical axis wind turbines. Yes, they sound cool. And they look cute. But do not be fooled. They have enormous power, if placed right and in synergy with each other. The VAWTs of today are capable of this power because the modern version of James Blyth's discovery has come a long, long way.
But first, let's take a look at how we got there. It is a fun British story that includes people terribly afraid of glowing lamps – as well as new ways of thinking.
SCOOPING THE WIND: This is an actual image of the world's first vertical windmills, those that James Blyth built in his garden in 1887.
Image: Archives and Special Collections/University of Strathclyde Library
The bright offer, that was refused!
When James Blyth managed to light all the bulbs he would need in his little Maykirk cottage, he offered the surplus electricity to make the main street in the little town be lit up at night. But his offer was refused.
Like many occasions when innovation is involved, skepticism was present. But not so much to the mill itself as to the fact that this new invention was “magically” able to generate electricity – a trick some thought must have been the work of no other than the devil himself.
Luckily, over the next couple of decades different kinds of windmills and turbines were made in both the USA, Denmark and other places in the United Kingdom. And people understood, also in the Scottish countryside, that the devil had little to do with being able to see in the dark. Nor was James Blyth a wizard, just a forward-thinking professor. Although, with his white beard, he did look a bit like Mr. Dumbledore.
MR.DUMBLEDORE AKA MR.BLYTH: James Blyth was not a wizard, just a forward-thinking professor. Ahead of his time.
Image: Archives and Special Collections/University of Strathclyde Library.
The faulty legacy of Blyth offshore wind farm
The very first wind farm in the UK; the Blyth offshore wind farm, just north of Newcastle Upon Tyne, was established in the year of 2000 – with a capacity of 2 megawatts. At the time this was the largest wind farm in the world. In the 25 years that has passed, that record has been – and continues to be – beaten, all the time.
The problem is: This farm was named after the Scottish engineer who built the first mill to make electricity, but the farm consisted of HAWT turbines. You know, those mega-tall, eagle-killing, often noisy, horizontal ones. Not the smaller, but still powerful vertical ones that were in fact “Blyth´s baby” – the type of mill that blew him into the history of wind in the first place.
So, what happened to the potential to all those vertical mills?
LET THERE BE LIGHT: This is an AI-made image of how we imagine the cobblestone streets of Marykirk could have looked like after dark, if they would only have accepted Blyths generous offer!
New super-smart high-tech mini-mills
The modern VAWTs or vertical windmills of today are - just like the very first one – also around 10 meters tall. But other than that, lots have actually changed. The blade design has evolved from simple flat surfaces to curved airfoil shapes that can maximize capturing energy from the wind.
The new VAWTs also very often include a smart integrated high-tech system that can make the most out of the direction the wind comes from at all times. Pretty handy when living on an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
The VAWT will work almost like a fitbit. Letting you know how well it did today, how much better it can do, what time of the day was the best for transforming “nature's breath” into something you can use – and even telling you when you can make money from it, by selling your surplus energy. Because today, we all know better than the old people of Marykirk.
Not all VAWTs are exceptional like this. But there is one new, high-tech Norwegian company called Norhybrid that makes those. And soon enough they will be offered to farmers, medium sized companies and any company really, that would like to make their own electricity – all over the United Kingdom: The windy island, and Norway's next door neighbor.
Would you like to know more about Norhybrid Renewables' powerful, little mill?