And a convoluted tale it is, involving the country's wealth of natural resources (coal, iron, copper and water for powering
machines and transporting goods), the comparatively high literacy rate that enabled common folk to educate themselves in science and technology, a patent system that protected the rights of inventors and gave them
economic incentive to both create and refine devices, and a population
large and wealthy enough to form a profitable market for products the new industries turned out.
I have also challenged the authorsí theoretical conclusions regarding the alleged superiority of
large windmills on the basis of a commercial wind energy developerís analysis of both 900 kW and 1500 kW windmills on constant height towers, and wind speeds at a specific siteóand the wind energy developerís statement that the 1500 kW
machines were not
economic.