How strong is the wind for wind turbines to turn

How does a wind turbine generate electricity?

The wind – even just a gentle breeze – makes the blades spin, creating kinetic energy. The blades rotating in this way then also make the shaft in the nacelle turn and a generator in the nacelle converts this kinetic energy into electrical energy. What happens to the wind-turbine generated electricity next?

What is the difference between a windmill and a turbine?

If the wind energy is used directly as a mechanical force, like milling grain or pumping water, it's called a windmill; if it converts wind energy to electricity, it's known as a wind turbine. A turbine system requires additional components, such as a battery for electricity storage, or is connected to a power distribution system like power lines.

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.

How does a wind turbine turn kinetic energy into mechanical energy?

Kinetic energy is transformed into mechanical energy when the wind meets the windmill blades and pushes them. The movement of the blades then turns a drive shaft. In a wind turbine, a spinning drive shaft is connected to a gearbox that increases the speed of the rotation by a factor of 100—which in turn spins a generator.

How fast can a wind turbine run?

Wind turbines will generally operate between 7mph (11km/h) and 56mph (90km/h). The efficiency is usually maximised at about 18mph (29km/h) and they will reach their maximum output at 27mph (43km/h). Where are wind farms located? Wind farms tend to be located in the windiest places possible, to maximise the energy they can create.

How much energy does a wind turbine produce?

When operating at design wind speeds of over 12 mph, the five 1.5 MW wind turbines at this facility are capable of producing up to 7.5 MW of electrical energy. Since this is much more than the average 2.5 MW of power needed each day by this facility, the remaining energy is sold to the local power grid.