A General Review of Windmills: Historical Development and Mechanical and Hydraulic Characteristics

5 th International Conference on Pioneer and Innovative Studies, Konya, Türkiye, 8 - 09 Haziran 2026, ss.1-13, (Tam Metin Bildiri)

Windmills are among the first technologies used to benefit from wind energy. They were

mainly used for simple but important needs, such as grinding grain, pumping water, and draining wet

lands. This study explains windmills by looking at their history, locations, uses, working principles,

mechanical parts, and main types.

The study also gives examples of historical windmills from Turkey, the Netherlands, Poland, Iran, and

Britain by grouping according to their use and structural form. In addition, a basic design approach for

irrigation windmills is presented.

Overall, windmills are not only old historical structures. They are also early examples of modern wind

energy systems.