Wind energy or wind energy is the extraction of kinetic energy from the wind and its conversion into mechanical energy. For many centuries man has exploited the power of the wind. 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 the wind. The Egyptians exploited the wind as early as 5000 BC by attaching sails to push boats across the Nile River. For many years, sailing ships on the open sea were powered by catching the wind with their sails. The Dutch adapted the windmill and used it to drain the lakes and swamps of the Rhine River. Windmills are used in food production such as grinding grain. Since the early 1800s, windmills in the United States have pumped water out of the ground. The windmill was instrumental in the development of land farming 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 turbine catching the wind and rotating a shaft inside a generator that produces electricity. Many of these wind turbines are grouped together to form a wind farm capable of generating large amounts of electricity that can be fed into the power grid. Since the Industrial Revolution, most electricity production plants have been powered by non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and, more recently, natural gas. Fossil fuel plants release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere causing global warming. Given that the threat of global warming is very real, many nations are turning to...... middle of paper .......: American Wind Energy Association, and what wind energy means for America ? Network. December 1, 2013Delucchi, Mark A. and Mark Z. Jacobson. “Meeting the world's energy needs entirely from wind, water and solar energy.” Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 69.4 (2013): 30-40. Academic research completed. Network. November 28, 2013.Humes, Edward. "Wherever you blow." Sierra 98.2 (2013):30-38. Academic research completed. Network. December 1, 2013.Leonard, Jeffrey. “Take the energy sector off the dole.” Washington Monthly 43.1/2 (2011): 36. Viewpoint Reference Center. Network. December 1, 2013. "Advantages of wind energy." Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Department of Energy, nd Web. 01 December 2013. United States. Department of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Wind Energy Today, 2010. Np: np, nd Energy.gov. Department of Energy, May 2010. Web. December 2. 2013.