The Windmill Turning

This volume collects the proceedings from a conference on the evolution and practice of central banking sponsored by the Central Bank Institute of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. The articles and discussants' comments in this volume largely focus on two questions: the need for central banks, and how to maintain price stability once they are established. The questions addressed include whether large banks (or coalitions of small banks) can substitute for government regulation and due central bank liquidity provision; whether the future will have fewer central banks or more; the possibility of private means to deliver a uniform currency; if competition across sovereign currencies can ensure global price stability; the role of learning (and unlearning) the lessons of the past inflationary episodes in understanding central bank behavior; and an analysis of the most recent experiment in central banking, the European Central Bank.

The Aermotor Windmill Company, which commenced operations in Chicago in 1888, is the nation’s sole remaining full-time manufacturer of water-pumping machines. The company’s imprint on rural America, particularly across the West, is still visible today in the tens of thousands of its windmills that bring water to the earth’s surface. Still Turning is the first book to explore the rise of the American windmill through the experience of this important company. Aermotor founder La Verne Noyes and engineer Thomas Perry developed and perfected the all-metal wind pump in the 1880s. Within a decade, the “mathematical windmill” began to dominate the market. Aermotor continued to expand and innovate. The ruggedness and simplicity of the American mechanical windmill has allowed it to outlast many newer water-pumping technologies over the years with minimal maintenance and oversight. Christopher C. Gillis traces this story and more, from the early days of the company to Aermotor’s present-day relevance as it continues to produce its iconic windmills. Still Turning is a significant contribution not only to the history of wind power but also to the history of American enterprise.

Now a Netflix film starring and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this is a gripping memoir of survival and perseverance about the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village. When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land. Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world. Complete with photographs, illustrations, and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story, this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family.

It is the year 1914 in rural West Kentucky. Twelve-year old Emma Mae and her ten-year old brother Edward have traveled across the county to visit their church friends Evelyn, aged eight, and her brother Ted, aged eleven. While visiting their large farm, unusual happenings occur, including the disappearance of the family dog and the threat of a kidnapping. As the children search for the missing dog, a strange sound lures them to the top of the farm windmill. When they reach the top, the wind is so strong they are blown off . . . only to land beside a Dutch windmill with four huge blades in the country of Holland! After getting to know a Dutch family there, they discover that there can be danger, even in another part of the world. Will they be able to save the Dutch princess from kidnappers? And what about saving the other "princess" when they return home? IF they return home?

Wind Power Plants: Theory and Design covers the fundamentals and historical developments in the technology of wind power plants around the world. This book is composed of nine chapters that consider the main theories for accurately fixing measurements and characteristics of a wind rotor for producing electricity or pumping water, either horizontal or vertical-axis. After a short introduction to wind energy, this book goes on dealing with fluid mechanics necessary to the understanding of wind energy problems. The succeeding chapters describe the horizontal-axis installations and the various systems of orientation and regulation effectively used. These topics are followed by discussions on blade calculations of horizontal-axis systems, the vertical-axis wind installations, pumping water, and the production of electricity by wind energy. The remaining chapters describe small and high power wind plants constructed throughout the world. These chapters also consider the problem of adapting the wind rotor to electrical generators or to pumps. This book is intended for researchers, engineers, and technicians who wish to extend their knowledge in the wind energy field.

Indoor climate is determined by rational lighting, heating, cooling and ventilating systems. For occupants' well-being it should be consistent with how regional outdoor climate works in the flow of radiation via four paths of heat transfer: radiation; convection; conduction; and evaporation. This book starts with the relationship between the human body and its immediate environmental space followed by a brief introduction of passive and active systems for indoor climate conditioning. The nature of light and heat is discussed with a focus on building envelope systems such as walls and windows, and then examined from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and human-biology. Some examples are given to enable a better understanding of luminous and thermal characteristics of our most immediate environment particularly for those professionally involved in environmental planning, designing, and engineering to know about bio-climatic design principle.