Humans have been utilizing wind energy for hundreds of years. Historically, windmills were used to pump water or grind grain. Although “farm windmills” are still used in remote areas, modern technology has made it possible to turn wind energy into electricity through the use of wind turbines.
Built much like windmills, wind turbines are positioned atop towers to capture as much energy as possible. Most turbines are built at 100 feet or more and are capable of using the faster and less turbulent wind. Wind turbines can be used alone, connected to a utility power grid or combined with a solar cell system to serve a number of functions ranging from electricity production to water pumping. The most efficient use of wind energy comes through the development of wind farms, which are created by placing a large number of turbines together in modular patterns. In some cases, wind farms can sit on farmland far enough apart to keep agricultural land use intact.
The electricity created by larger, utility-scale turbines on wind farms is usually gathered and fed into power lines, where it can be combined with electricity from other power plant sources and distributed to utility consumers. By 2005, turbines with capacities up to 5,000 kW (5MW) were being tested. That is enough energy to power more than 1,400 households for a year.
Today, wind turbines have an availability factor or measurement of reliability of more than 98%, which is higher than many other types of power plants. After years of continuous refinement, modern wind turbines are highly reliable.
Sources: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), U.S. Department of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) and American Wind Energy Association