Windmills have been used for various purposes throughout history, including:

• Grinding grain: The most important use of windmills was for grinding grain. Windmills were used to mill grain (gristmills) in many parts of the world, including Europe and the Middle East.

• Pumping water: Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. The use of wind pumps became widespread across the Muslim world and later spread to East Asia (China) and South Asia (India). Homesteaders and ranchers installed thousands of wind pumps as they settled the western United States.

• Cutting wood: Windmills were used to cut wood at sawmills in early America.

• Processing materials: Windmills have been used to power many other industrial processes, including papermills, threshing mills, and to process oil seeds, wool, paints, and stone products.

In modern times, wind turbines are used to generate electricity. Wind turbines work by using the power of the wind to create electricity. Large wind turbines are the most visible, but you can also buy a small wind turbine for individual use; for example, to provide power to a caravan or boat. Wind turbines can be stand-alone, supplying just one or a very small number of homes or businesses, or they can be clustered to form part of a wind farm.