Wind energy works by converting the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy using wind turbines. Here is how the process functions in detail:
- Wind turbines have large, propeller-like blades attached to a rotor. When wind blows, it flows over the blades, creating a difference in air pressure on either side, similar to how airplane wings generate lift. This pressure difference produces a force called lift that is stronger than drag, causing the blades and rotor to spin
- The spinning rotor is connected to a shaft inside the turbine’s nacelle (the housing at the top of the tower). The shaft turns a generator either directly or through a gearbox that increases the rotation speed, enabling the generator to produce electricity
- Inside the generator, magnets spin past coils of copper wire, inducing an electric current through electromagnetic induction. This converts the mechanical rotational energy into electrical energy
- Wind turbines are often grouped into wind farms to generate large amounts of electricity, which is then transmitted to the power grid to supply homes and businesses
- Wind itself is caused by the sun unevenly heating the Earth's atmosphere, combined with the Earth's rotation and surface irregularities, creating air pressure differences that cause air to move as wind
In summary, wind turbines harness the natural movement of air (wind) to spin blades connected to a generator, transforming wind’s kinetic energy into clean, renewable electricity
