Wind Turbines



Wind turbines use the wind to push the blades of the turbine, spinning a generator and creating electricity. The terms “wind power” and “wind energy” have the same meaning, describing the process where wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. The mechanical power can be used for small, specific tasks like grinding grain or pumping water, or can be converted into electricity using a generator. The first wind turbine that generated electricity was built in 1887 in Scotland and was used to power a small cottage. Now there are over 341,000 wind turbines worldwide. 


According to Windustry, “Wind turbines under 100 kilowatts cost roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt of capacity. A 10 kilowatt machine (the size needed to power a large home) might have an installed cost of $50,000-$80,000 (or more). The costs for a utility scale wind turbine range from about $1.3 million to $2.2 million per MW of nameplate capacity installed. Most of the commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost roughly $3-$4 million installed”.


Sources: How Do Wind Turbines Work? | Department of Energy, When Were Wind Turbines Invented? - Semprius, There are over 341,000 wind turbines on the planet, why they matter (cnbc.com), How much do wind turbines cost? - Windustry

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