ABSTRACT
The first trial use of wind-powered electric generation was conducted in the 1920s, and since then, wind-powered electric generation has not been very active, except for the Yamada wind turbine which was used mainly by pioneering farmers in Hokkaido, in the northern part of Japan in the 1950s.In Japan, the development of wind energy utilisation has a shorter history than in European countries. Additionally, exceedingly strong typhoons and spring gusts may destroy a windmill. Watermills were widely utilised instead, because of the mountainous topography, many rivers, and heavy rainfall. They became a substantial commercial power supply network throughout the small country. For these reasons, the development of wind power utilisation in Japan has lagged behind that in European countries and the United States. 9.1.2 Wind-Powered Water SupplyA wind-powered water supply system is favourable in wind power utilisation in Japan, because the system is provided with a water tank for energy storage. Even if the wind power as an input is unstable, it will be enough to lift up water and to store it in the water tank or pond wherever the wind blows [1].
