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| How Does a Wind Turbine Work? |
Today's sleek and slender wind turbines have come a long way from the early windmills of Persian antiquity. Ranging from small-scale, 1 kilowatt (kW) models to utility-scale models that can produce in excess of 6 megawatts (MW), wind turbines have become a familiar sight around the world.
Wind turbines operate on a simple principle. Their blades capture the kinetic energy in the wind and convert it into mechanical energy by turning a shaft. The shaft in turn spins a generator, which transforms the mechanical power into electricity. |
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| If you want to see how it works please click on pictures |
At higher altitudes, wind speeds increase dramatically. Wind turbines are mounted on towers to capture these higher winds and produce higher output. The higher the altitude of a wind turbine, the higher its energy production.
In smaller applications, individual wind turbines are used to produce electricity for single homes or buildings. In larger, utility-scale applications, multiple wind turbines are grouped together in arrays to form a wind farm. The wind farm is connected to the power grid for widespread distribution of electricity. |
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