Wind turbine

Rare card · No. 74529

A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. As of 2024, hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over 1,136 gigawatts of power, with 117 GW added each year. Wind turbines are an increasingly important source of intermittent renewable energy, and are used in many countries to lower energy costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. One study claimed that, as of 2009, wind had the "lowest relative greenhouse gas emissions, the least water consumption demands and the most favorable social impacts" compared to photovoltaic, hydro, geothermal, coal and gas energy sources. Wind turbines are manufactured in a wide range of sizes, with either horizontal or vertical axes, though horizontal is most common. Commercial power production horizontal-axis turbines usually have three blades, upwind of their towers. Vertical-axis turbines can be made to varied designs, including the "eggbeater" Darrieus,...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0