How big is a wind turbine blade?

Turbine blades vary in size, but a typical modern land-based wind turbine has blades of over 170 feet (52 meters). The largest turbine is GE's Haliade-X offshore wind turbine, with blades 351 feet long (107 meters) – about the same length as a football field. When wind flows across the blade, the air pressure on one side of the blade decreases.

How does a wind turbine generate electricity?

Wind energy, or wind power, is created using a wind turbine, a device that channels the power of the wind to generate electricity. The wind blows the blades of the turbine, which are attached to a rotor. The rotor then spins a generator to create electricity.

How many kilowatts does a wind turbine produce?

Large wind turbines, most often used by utilities to provide power to a grid, range from 100 kilowatts to several megawatts. These utility-scale turbines are often grouped together in wind farms to produce large amounts of electricity.

What is a wind turbine anemometer?

The anemometer measures wind speed and transmits wind speed data to the controller. Most turbines have three blades which are made mostly of fiberglass. Turbine blades vary in size, but a typical modern land-based wind turbine has blades of over 170 feet (52 meters).

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 fast does a wind turbine go?

Keep in mind that as a rotor diameter increases, the height of the tower increases as well, which means more access to faster winds. At 33 mph, most large turbines generate their rated power capacity, and at 45 mph (20 meters per second), most large turbines shut down.