Here is a concise summary of the text:
**History of Wind Energy**
* Debate over who first used wind energy, with ancient Babylon (1700 BC) and China being contenders
* European windmills emerged in 1100-1150 AD, with Dutch windmills (actually water pumps) powering land reclamation
**Challenges of Traditional Wind Turbines**
* Wind instability and potential for destruction
* High costs (~$1,000/kW) and complex design requirements
* Noise, bird safety, and signal distortion concerns
* Limited efficiency, with 3-blade designs being most common due to cost and weight constraints
**Innovative Solutions**
* **Icewind (Iceland)**: Vertical axis wind turbines for extreme weather conditions, low maintenance, and quiet operation (<35 dB)
* **Altair**: Autonomous, tethered, helium-filled airships with turbines, generating 3x more electricity (1200W/m²) at high altitudes (600m)
**Global Wind Energy Adoption**
* Over 539 GW of capacity operational worldwide
* Leaders: China (171.8 GW), USA (89 GW), and Germany (59 GW)
* Wind energy helps conserve non-renewable resources, with a 1 MW turbine saving 29,000 tons of coal or 92,000 barrels of oil over 20 years.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, each with a number and in short sentence form, excluding opinions:
**Historical Facts**
1. The oldest known windmills appeared in ancient Babylon around 1700 BC.
2. European windmills began to appear between 1100 to 1150 AD.
3. Dutch windmills were primarily used for water pumping and land reclamation.
**Wind Energy Statistics**
4. Over 10,000 wind turbines were in operation in Holland during its peak.
5. The cost of 1 kilowatt of installed wind power is approximately $1,000.
6. The largest wind turbine today has a blade diameter of 164 meters.
7. Each blade of the largest turbine weighs around 30 tons.
**Technical Specifications**
8. A classic wind generator is typically considered to be three-blade.
9. The minimum wind speed required for a wind generator to operate is 3-4 meters per second.
10. The largest wind installation in the world stands at about 240 meters tall, generating around 4 megawatts of energy.
**Company-Specific Innovations**
11. IceWind (Iceland) specializes in vertical axis wind turbines for extreme weather conditions.
12. IceWind turbines can operate with wind speeds as low as 2 meters per second and up to 50 meters per second.
13. Altair company developed an airborne wind turbine system using a helium-filled, lightweight shell.
**Global Wind Energy Adoption**
14. Over 539 gigawatts of wind energy capacity are in operation worldwide.
15. China leads in wind energy capacity with 171.8 gigawatts.
16. The United States has the second-largest capacity with 89 gigawatts, followed by Germany with 59 gigawatts.
**Environmental Impact**
17. A 1-megawatt wind generator saves approximately 29,000 tons of coal or 92,000 barrels of oil over 20 years of operation.