Wind power wind tube

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 are wind turbines used for?

Wind Turbines are used in a variety of applications – from harnessing offshore wind resources to generating electricity for a single home: Large wind turbines, most often used by utilities to provide power to a grid, range from 100 kilowatts to several megawatts.

How does a wind turbine pitch system work?

The pitch system adjusts the angle of the wind turbine's blades with respect to the wind, controlling the rotor speed. By adjusting the angle of a turbine's blades, the pitch system controls how much energy the blades can extract.

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 a Windspire turbine?

The Windspire is a type of lift-based turbine that is undergoing independent testing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Wind Turbines are used in a variety of applications – from harnessing offshore wind resources to generating electricity for a single home: