Using the Wind as Energy (College Board AP® Environmental Science): Study Guide

Harnessing wind energy

• Wind energy is a clean and sustainable energy that uses wind to create electricity

• Wind energy uses windmills to catch the kinetic energy from the wind to spin a turbine

• The spinning of the turbine converts mechanical energy into electricity

• The amount of electricity produced varies daily depending on the strength of the wind

• The approximate efficiency of wind generators is around 30% 

  • Energy is lost to:

    • aerodynamic limits

    • transferring the electricity to the grid

    • friction within the system

• The power is stored for days when less energy is produced than usual

• There are several ways to store power, including batteries, compressed air storage, hydrogen fuel cells, and pumped storage

Process of electricity production through wind energy

• Electricity is the movement of electrons through a wire or similar material

• When the wind blows, it makes the blades of the wind turbine spin, which then rotates a generator within the windmill

• The generator has a wire coil that is located around a magnet

• When a wire coil near a magnet spins, it causes electrons to move, creating an electric current

• This electric current can be used to power homes, companies, and other electrical devices

• Wind turbines are usually placed on tall towers so they can capture the winds found at higher altitudes

Types of wind turbines

• There are different kinds of wind turbines

  • Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT), which are the most popular type of wind turbine and have blades that are mounted on a horizontal axis

  • Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT) have blades that are mounted on a vertical plane and are less common than HAWTs

Wind turbine