Text and charts from The Wind Power Book by Jack Park (copyright
© 1981) are reprinted by permission of the author and Cheshire
Books. Harnessing the wind is a fantastically appealing idea.
Anyone who's stepped out into a howling autumn blow knows
instinctively that there's tremendous power in the movement of
air, but the would-be windplant owner must decide whether his or
her area has enough wind year round to justify the expense of
such a system. Windplant designer and builder Jack Park—owner of
Helion Inc., president of the American Wind Energy Association,
and author—has addressed that subject in a new text: The Wind
Power Book. In the opinion of MOTHER EARTH NEWS' technical
staff, it is the clearest, most understandable explanation yet
of the factors that anyone must consider before either
purchasing or constructing a wind energy system. In fact, we
were sufficiently impressed by the book to secure the right to
reprint a portion of the volume's introduction ...which we hope
will help to give everyone who