“This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war" - except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.” Jimmy Carter, The President's Proposed Energy Policy, April 1977

Wind Power Limited was founded in Suffolk, UK by enthusiast and innovator Theodore Bird to develop large-scale vertical axis wind turbine technology suitable for offshore. Since its origins as a small research company Wind Power has developed extensive experience and built strong relationships with the wind industry and now offers a broad range of products and services.

Although the earliest known windmills from Persia were vertical axis, modern vertical axis wind turbines owe their origin to a billion dollar research program commissioned by the US Department of Energy which was part of President Jimmy Carter’s reaction to the 1970s oil crisis. This program developed innovative nuclear, shale oil, coal and renewable energy technologies which included two wind turbine technologies: Large-scale horizontal axis developed by Boeing and NASA; and vertical axis - developed by Sandia Laboratories in New Mexico (whose roots go back to the Manhattan Project).

Following this period of research and development, the oil price collapsed so ‘green’ wind energy proponents found it easier and cheaper to commercially demonstrate wind power using horizontal axis technology onshore from Denmark. Vertical axis wind turbine development had to be postponed as more research and investment was needed to deliver its promise of low cost, large-scale wind power offshore - a market which at the time was considered decades away.

Today, offshore wind power is still at an early stage compared to onshore wind and contributes only a small fraction of the World’s electricity needs. Stronger, steadier winds offshore mean each turbine can potentially generate up to 50 per cent more energy than an equivalent turbine onshore. The Aerogenerator turbine being developed by Wind Power is particularly suited to offshore operation due to its scalability, low centre of gravity, insensitivity to wind direction and ability to float cost effectively.