WIND ENERGY

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.

Wind power has grown rapidly since 2000, driven by R&D, supportive policies and
falling costs. Global installed wind generation capacity – both onshore and offshore –
has increased by a factor of 98 in the past two decades, jumping from 7.5 GW in 1997
to some 733 GW by 2018 according to IRENA’s data. Onshore wind capacity grew from
178 GW in 2010 to 699 GW in 2020, while offshore wind has grown proportionately
more, but from a lower base, from 3.1 GW in 2010 to 34.4 GW in 2020. Production of
wind power increased by a factor of 5.2 between 2009 and 2019 to reach 1412 TWh.

Both onshore and offshore wind still have tremendous potential for greater deployment
and improvement, globally.

As the technology has improved and scaled up, costs have fallen and capacity factors
have risen. Between 2010 and 2020, the global weighted-average levelised cost of
electricity (LCOE) of onshore wind fell by 56%, from USD 0.089/kWh to USD
0.039/kWh. Over the same period, the LCOE of newly commissioned offshore wind
projects fell by around half (48%).

Wind turbine capacity has increased over time. In 1985, typical turbines had a rated
capacity of 0.05 MW and a rotor diameter of 15 metres. Today’s new wind power
projects have a turbine capacity in the 3-4 MW range onshore and 8-12 MW offshore.

The amount of power that can be harvested from wind depends on the size of the
turbine and the length of its blades. The output is proportional to the dimensions of the
rotor and to the cube of the wind speed. Theoretically, when wind speed doubles, the
wind power potential increases by a factor of eight.

Wind turbines first emerged more than a century ago. Following the invention of the
electric generator in the 1830s, engineers started attempting to harness wind energy to
produce electricity. Wind power generation took place in the United Kingdom and the
United States in 1887 and 1888, but modern wind power is considered to have been
first developed in Denmark, where horizontal-axis wind turbines were built in 1891 and a
22.8 metre wind turbine began operation in 1897. The modern wind power sector
emerged in the 1980s.
Once called windmills, the technology used to harness the power
of wind has advanced significantly over the past ten years, with the
United States increasing its wind power capacity 30% year over
year. Wind turbines, as they are now called, collect and convert
the kinetic energy that wind produces into electricity to help power
the grid.

Wind energy is actually a byproduct of the sun. The sun’s uneven

heating of the atmosphere, the earth’s irregular surfaces
(mountains and valleys), and the planet's revolution around the sun
all combine to create wind. Since wind is in plentiful supply, it’s
a sustainable resource for as long as the sun’s rays heat the
planet.

In addition, because wind power is a growing industry, it’s adding

jobs to communities around the country. Currently, there are utility-
scale wind plants in 41 states that have created more than 100,000
jobs for Americans.

ind 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.

Explore a Wind Turbine

To see how a wind turbine works, click on the image for a demonstration.

Types of Wind Turbines >

Sizes of Wind Turbines >

Learn More >

Wind is a form of solar energy caused by a combination of three concurrent events:

1. The sun unevenly heating the atmosphere

2. Irregularities of the earth's surface
3. The rotation of the earth. 
Wind flow patterns and speeds vary greatly across the United States and are modified by
bodies of water, vegetation, and differences in terrain. Humans use this wind flow, or motion
energy, for many purposes: sailing, flying a kite, and even generating electricity.

The terms "wind energy" and "wind power" both describe the process by which the wind is used
to generate mechanical power or 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. When wind flows across the
blade, the air pressure on one side of the blade decreases. The difference in air pressure across
the two sides of the blade creates both lift and drag. The force of the lift is stronger than the drag
and this causes the rotor to spin. The rotor connects to the generator, either directly (if it’s a
direct drive turbine) or through a shaft and a series of gears (a gearbox) that speed up the rotation
and allow for a physically smaller generator. This translation of aerodynamic force to rotation of
a generator creates electricity. 

Types of Wind Turbines

The majority of wind turbines fall into two basic types:

HORIZONTAL-AXIS TURBINES
VERTICAL-AXIS TURBINES

Wind turbines can be built on land or offshore in large bodies of water like oceans and lakes. The
U.S. Department of Energy is currently funding projects to facilitate offshore wind deployment
in U.S. waters.

Applications of Wind Turbines

Modern wind turbines can be categorized by where they are installed and how they are
connected to the grid:

LAND-BASED WIND
OFFSHORE WIND
DISTRIBUTED WIND

Learn More
Interested in wind energy? The Small Wind Guidebook helps homeowners, ranchers, and small
businesses decide if wind energy can work for them. 
More wind energy resources can be found at WINDExchange, which has lesson plans,
websites, and videos for K-12 students, as well as information about the Wind for Schools
Project and the Collegiate Wind Competition.

ENERGY 101: GENERATING CLEAN ELECTRICITY FROM THE WIND

Video Url

This video highlights the basic principles at work in wind turbines and illustrates how the
various components work to capture and convert wind energy to electricity. See the text
version.

U.S. Department of Energy

History of U.S. Wind Energy
Through history, the use of wind power has waxed and waned,from the use of windmills in
centuries past to high tech wind turbines on wind farms tod...
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Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Wind Power
Brush up on your knowledge of wind! Get the details on a few of the lesser-known wind energy
facts.
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Who Uses Distributed Wind?
There are many different types of distributed wind customer. Find out more about distributed
wind and who uses it.
LEARN MORE
Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Distributed Wind Power
Learn about key facts related to wind turbines used in distributed applications.
LEARN MORE
Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Offshore Wind Energy
Learn more about efforts to develop America's vast offshore wind resources.
LEARN MORE

Find out more about wind energy by visiting the Wind Energy Technologies Office web page or
browsing the office's funded activities.