English - Nooteboom Giants on the Road Magazine English - Nr. 6 - 2019 | Page 34

GIANTS ON THE ROAD Wind energy WITHOUT SUBSIDY END 1980 THE FIRST COMMERCIAL WIND PROJECT SPRANG UP ON THE HILLSIDES OF CROTCHED MOUNTAIN IN SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE (USA): TWENTY WINDMILLS WITH A TOTAL CAPACITY OF 0.6 MW. THE INTEREST FOR WIND ENERGY BLEW OVER FROM THE UNITED STATES TO EUROPE AND IN THE NINETIES THE NUMBER OF WINDMILLS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY. THE LEADING COUNTRIES WERE DENMARK AND GERMANY, BUT SUDDENLY A LARGE NUMBER OF WIND TURBINES ALSO APPEARED ON THE HORIZON IN THE NETHERLANDS, THE UK, SWEDEN AND SPAIN. NOOTEBOOM KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON THE WORLD OF WIND ENERGY THROUGH OWN RESEARCH. 34