What is Wind Energy?
Wind energy (or wind power) refers to the process of creating electricity using the wind, or air flows that occur naturally in the earth’s atmosphere. Modern wind turbines are used to capture kinetic energy from the wind and generate electricity.
How wind turbines work?
When the wind blows past a wind turbine, its blades capture the wind’s kinetic energy and rotate, turning it into mechanical energy. This rotation turns an internal shaft connected to a gearbox, which increases the speed of rotation by a factor of 100. That spins a generator that produces electricity.
How wind energy gets to you?
The turbines in a wind farm are connected so the electricity they generate can travel from the wind farm to the power grid. Once wind energy is on the main power grid, electric utilities or power operators will send the electricity to where people need it.
What is a wind farm?
Oftentimes a large number of wind turbines are built close together, which is referred to as a wind project or wind farm. A wind farm functions as a single power plant and sends electricity to the grid.
Windmills vs. Wind Turbines?
Sometimes people use the terms “windmill” and “wind turbine” interchangeably, but there are important differences. People have been using windmills for centuries to grind grain, pump water, and do other work. Windmills generate mechanical energy, but they do not generate electricity. In contrast, modern wind turbines are highly evolved machines with more than 8,000 parts that harness wind's kinetic energy and convert it into electricity.