Wind power or wind power is the extraction of kinetic energy from the wind and its conversion into mechanical energy. Man has harnessed the power of wind for many centuries. Wind is a type of solar energy. The sun warms the Earth's surface and warmer air begins to rise. Cooler air flows into the area below the rising air, causing wind. The Egyptians used wind as early as 5,000 BC by attaching sails to propel boats on the Nile. For many years, sailing ships on the high seas were powered by catching the wind with sails. The Dutch adapted the windmill and used it to drain the lakes and marshes of the Rhine. Windmills are used in food production, such as for grinding grain. Since the early 1800s, windmills in the United States have pumped water from the ground. The windmill was instrumental in the development of dryland agriculture in the Midwest after the Civil War. Hundreds of windmills still operate today to provide water for grazing livestock. Today, huge modern wind turbines are used all over the world to generate electricity. The process of generating electricity from a wind turbine involves the blades of the wind turbine catching the wind and spinning a shaft inside a generator which produces electricity. Many of these wind turbines are grouped together to form a wind farm that can generate large amounts of electricity that can be added to the power grid. Since the industrial revolution, the majority of power plants have been powered by non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and more recently natural gas. Fossil fuel power plants release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing global warming. With the threat of global warming very real, many countries are turning to a...... middle of paper .......: American Wind Energy Association, and What does wind energy mean for America? Internet. December 01, 2013Delucchi, Mark A. and Mark Z. Jacobson. “Fully meeting the world’s energy needs through wind, hydro and solar power.” Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 69.4 (2013): 30-40. Academic research completed. Internet. November 28, 2013. Humes, Edward. “Wherever it blows.” Sierra 98.2 (2013): 30-38. Academic research completed. Internet. December 1, 2013. Leonard, Jeffrey. “Get the energy sector out of unemployment. » Washington Monthly 43.1/2 (2011): 36. Viewpoints Reference Center. Internet. December 1, 2013. “Benefits of Wind Energy.” » Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies. Ministry of Energy, nd Web. December 01, 2013.United States. Department of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Wind Power Today, 2010. Np: np, and Energy.gov. Department of Energy, May 2010. Web. December 2. 2013.