The history of wind power is discussed, from pumping water that reclaimed land in the Netherlands in the 1600s to today’s megawatt-scale, grid-tied, electricity-generating behemoths. Installations in Denmark (Vindeby, Copenhagen), the US (West Texas, Wyoming, offshore Atlantic), Spain (100% wind in El Hierro), the UK (London Array, North Sea), and China (China’s Wind Base program is expected to reach 1 terrawatt of grid power by 2050) are examined as are novel horizontal-axis, vertical-axis, and vibrating turbine technologies. The number of onshore and offshore sites continues to increase the amount of grid-tied renewable energy year on year (now 10%). The problems of long-distance transmission, stranded power, and recycling are discussed.

The origin of the grid is explained, starting with Nikola Tesla and Westinghouse at Niagara Falls, high-voltage transformers, and central-power plant construction across the globe. Renewable-energy technologies are discussed, including hydroelectric dams, geothermal (Iceland, Italy, the US), and marine energy (Scotland, Canada). The advent of the modern prosumer who buys and sells power to a bi-directional grid, virtual power plants, and microgrids are examined as intermittent renewables require new means to manage distributed resources. The social consequences, reliability, and privacy issues of a growing smart grid are examined.

From the birth of Pakistan, the central government saw itself as devoted to development. It assumed an interventionist role, but the funds it released were unimpressive. In the early 1950s the Cold War had made government-to-government aid a useful geopolitical tool, and there was a strong belief among experts that aid would accelerate economic growth. The Pakistan elite became heavily aid-dependent. In East Pakistan the Comilla model of cooperatives became important, as did the creation of a hydroelectric dam project in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.