A windmill is a structure used to harness the power of the wind for purposes like grinding grain, pumping water, and generating electricity.

The power of the wind was first harnessed by sailors, who were able to understand lift and harness the winds power through sails. This knowledge led to the development of the first vertical axis sail-type windmill used by the ancient Persians and Chinese for grinding grain and pumping water.

They consisted of vanes called sails or blades that when prompted to turn by the wind, converted the wind’s energy into rotational energy that could be utilized.

Early European windmills with horizontal axis systems were the foundation for current wind turbine technology used for energy production.

This article is going to discuss the history of windmills and how they advanced to modern designs, as well as how they work.

Early History of Windmills

There is no concrete evidence on who exactly was the first to invent the windmill, whether it was the Chinese or the Persians is up for debate. Regardless, both cultures began using this technology around the same time for the same purposes.

Some believe that the windmill technology was brought to Northern Europe as a result of the crusades, however their horizontal axis design rather than the vertical axis system, makes it just as likely that the Europeans discovered their windmill independently. The first existing illustrations from 1270 A.D. show blue-prints of the post mill type of windmill

By the help of movement of Wind , windmill rotates and produce electricity