Producing Electricity from Wind

Sources of Wind

Wind is produced by regions of different temperatures and/or pressures.  On Earth, almost all wind is created by incoming radiation from the sun.  The sun heats a land mass and the heat from the land is absorbed by the surrounding air.  When the air reaches a certain temperature, it begins to rise quickly upwards. This results in a low-pressure area at ground level and a higher-pressure area above the land.

Air naturally moves from high-pressure zones to low-pressure zones, trying to equalize the air pressure. This air movement creates wind.  Areas of the Earth closer to the sun, such as the equator, become warm quicker than areas further away, such as the poles. As air moves over warm areas and rises, cooler air from surrounding areas rushes in to fill the space left by the rising air, thereby creating surface winds.  Due to elevation, topography, surface roughness, and location, some areas experience more wind than others.

Creating Electricity from Wind Energy

The air surrounding Earth is made up of many gases, and the wind is essentially moving (kinetic) gas molecules. If you slow down those molecules, they need to ‘release’ their kinetic energy.  Wind turbines capture the kinetic energy in surface winds and convert it into electricity. 

To do this use they use three basic parts: blades, a shaft and a generator. As wind moves over the turbine blades, it creates high-pressure air below the turbine blades and low-pressure air above them, causing ‘lift’ — similar to airplane wings. Lift makes the blades rotate since each blade is slightly angled. The blades turn a shaft that moves magnets in the generator, which in turn creates electricity.  This electricity can be used on-site by a home, business, farm, etc. or can be ‘pumped’ into a nearby electrical grid for storage and transmission to others who require it.

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