Wind turbine like a wind turbine

How do wind turbines work?

Wind turbines work on a simple principle: instead of using electricity to make wind—like a fan—wind turbines use wind to make electricity. Wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity. To see how a wind turbine works, click on the image for a demonstration.

What is the difference between upwind and downwind turbines?

Upwind turbines—like the one shown here—face into the wind while downwind turbines face away. Most utility-scale land-based wind turbines are upwind turbines. The wind vane measures wind direction and communicates with the yaw drive to orient the turbine properly with respect to the wind.

What is a wind turbine?

The term windmill, which typically refers to the conversion of wind energy into power for milling or pumping, is sometimes used to describe a wind turbine. However, the term wind turbine is widely used in mainstream references to renewable energy (see also wind power).

How does a wind turbine turn mechanical power into electricity?

This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity. A wind turbine turns wind energy into electricity using the aerodynamic force from the rotor blades, which work like an airplane wing or helicopter rotor blade.

What is wind power?

Wind power is a form of energy conversion in which turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be used for power. Wind power is considered a form of renewable energy. Modern commercial wind turbines produce electricity by using rotational energy to drive a generator.

How is wind used to produce electricity?

Wind is used to produce electricity by converting the kinetic energy of air in motion into electricity. In modern wind turbines, wind rotates the rotor blades, which convert kinetic energy into rotational energy. This rotational energy is transferred by a shaft which to the generator, thereby producing electrical energy.