Wind turbines are devices which harness the kinetic energy found in winds and convert it into electricity for daily use. Usually, wind turbines resemble windmills and are giant devices which comprise of propellers on pylons. Nonetheless, these turbines can also be seen in various shapes and sizes.

First off, wind turbines work by converting the kinetic energy into mechanical energy which is later converted into electricity. The technique as old as windmills is used for this conversion into mechanical energy. The turbine blades are shaped in a manner that they catch the wind. The blades are turned by the motion of the wind and reach the turban rotor through the gears. Comparing it to a thermal power plant is the best way to understand how wind turbines generate electricity.

In a thermal power plant which is coal fired, heat is generated by burning coal. Heat is then used to turn the water into steam because the steam turns the blades of the turbines and hence gives power to the generator. This indicates that the heat energy of coals is first converted into mechanical and then electrical energy. Power is created by wind turbines in the same way except steam is replaced by wind. Electricity is created by the empowerment of the generator which is achieved by transferring the turning motion to the rotor.

Wind turbines are usually imagined to be propellers on pylons i.e. three bladed windmills. However, this is the traditional horizontal blade design which is highly common even today. Horizontal designs using different number of blades can also be found along with designs which use sails instead of blades and vertical blade designs.

The location of wind turbines has to be such that one can count on a constant supply of wind which eventually leads to a consistent supply of electricity. Wind turbines are the ideal source of green energy as they do not damage the local ecology, have relatively low maintenance costs and there is no carbon emissions associated with them. They can aid in achieving mass production of electricity which can overcome the cost of building them. The output of wind turbines are growing rapidly although currently they provide around 1 percent or a little more of the world’s electricity.

Already in some European countries, wind turbines are becoming a common sight and it is expected that in the upcoming years, they will become a common sight all around the globe. This particular source of environmental friendly, clean as well as renewable source of energy will become a popular feature of everyday life as the manufacture of wind turbine units begin to enjoy the benefits of true mass production and the technology reaches maturation. It has been discovered through research that if the wind energy is fully exploited, wind turbines can produce five times the amount of electricity which is consumed worldwide.

The smallest wind turbines found today are used for applications like providing auxiliary power on sailing boats and battery charging while larger turbines are being used as a source of commercial electric power.

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