Wind chime Japanese glass wind bells known as "fūrin" () have been produced since the Edo period, and those at Mizusawa Station are one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Wind chimes are thought to be good luck in parts of Asia and are used in Feng Shui. Wind chimes started to become modernized around 1100 B.C. after the Chinese began to cast bells. A bell without a clapper, called a "yong-zhong", was crafted by skilled metal artisans and primarily used in religious ceremonies. Afterwards, the Chinese created the "feng-ling", which is similar to today's modern wind bell. Feng-lings were hung from
Wind power power is reliable and predictable, whereas conventional generators, while far less variable, can suffer major unpredictable outages. Typically, conventional hydroelectricity complements wind power very well. When the wind is blowing strongly, nearby hydroelectric stations can temporarily hold back their water. When the wind drops they can, provided they have the generation capacity, rapidly increase production to compensate. This gives a very even overall power supply and virtually no loss of energy and uses no more water. Alternatively, where a suitable head of water is not available, pumped-storage hydroelectricity or other forms of grid energy storage such as compressed air energy