Wind Power

"It all begins with the Sun. During the day, hat from the Sun pours onto Earth's surface. Land absorbs the heat, while water reflects most of the Sun's rays back into the air. As the air warms, it becomes lighter and rises up into the atmosphere (the "bubble" of air that surrounds the planet.) Heavier cool air from nearby is sucked in along the ground to fill the void. The movement of this cooler air is what we feel as wind." With a combination of simple explanation and significant information, Christine Petersen examines the nature of wind and how it has been harnessed for our energy needs beginning with Egyptian boating 7,000 years ago. "In 2001, wind farms around the world produced enough electricity for 10 million homes." Wind Power is filled with photographs of windmills, wind turbines, and wind farms. An up-to-date website list of relevant organizations is included at the end of the book. The wealth of information provided and the manner in which it is presented while keeping it entirely age-appropriate is so outstanding here that I found myself compelled to reject another publisher's 2004 book on wind power (while working on collection development) because it suffered so badly in comparison from reading it after enjoying this one.