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{{Short description|Electrical power generation from wind}}
[[Image:Windenergy.jpg|thumb|300px| An example of a [[wind turbine]]. This 3 bladed turbine is the most common design of modern wind turbines.]]
{{redirect|Wind energy|the academic journal|Wind Energy (journal)}}
{{renewable energy sources}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{portal|Energy}}
[[File: Wind power plants in Xinjiang, China.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Wind farm in [[Xinjiang]], China]]
{{Portalpar|Sustainable development|Sustainable development.svg}}
[[File:Electricity production by source.svg|thumb|Electricity production by source]]
'''Wind power''' is the conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, such as electricity, using [[wind turbine]]s. At the end of 2006, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 73.9 [[gigawatt]]s; although it currently produces just over 1% of world-wide electricity use,<ref name="wwindea">[http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/pdfs/pr_statistics2006_290107.pdf World Wind Energy Association Statistics]</ref>, it accounts for approximately 20% of electricity production in [[Wind power in Denmark|Denmark]], 9% in [[Wind power in Spain|Spain]], and 7% in [[Wind power in Germany|Germany]].<ref>[http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20070425/european-wind-companies-grow-in-u-s.htm European wind companies grow in U.S.]</ref> Globally, wind power generation more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006.<ref>[http://www.wwindea.org/ WWEA]</ref>
{{sustainable energy}}


Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity by converting the rotation of [[wind turbine|turbine]] blades into electrical current by means of an [[electrical generator]]. In [[windmill]]s (a much older technology), wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work, such as crushing grain or pumping water.
'''Wind power''' is the use of [[wind]] energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by [[sails]], [[windmill]]s and [[windpump]]s, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity generation.
Today, wind power is generated almost completely with [[wind turbine]]s, generally grouped into [[wind farms]] and connected to the [[electrical grid]].


In 2022, wind supplied over 2,304 [[TWh]] of electricity, which was 7.8% of world electricity.<ref name=ember2024/>
Wind power is used in large scale [[wind farms]] for national electrical grids as well as in small individual turbines for providing electricity to rural residences or grid-isolated locations.
With about 100 [[Gigawatt|GW]] added during 2021, mostly [[Wind power in China|in China]] and the [[Wind power in the United States|United States]], global installed wind power capacity exceeded 800 GW.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Wind Power – Analysis|url=https://www.iea.org/reports/wind-power|access-date=2021-11-23|website=IEA|language=en-GB|archive-date=23 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123010357/https://www.iea.org/reports/wind-power|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Wind energy generation vs. installed capacity|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/wind-energy-consumption-vs-installed-wind-energy-capacity|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Our World in Data|archive-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019062311/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/wind-energy-consumption-vs-installed-wind-energy-capacity|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-25 |title=Global wind industry breezes into new record |url=https://www.energylivenews.com/2022/03/25/global-wind-industry-breezes-into-new-record/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Energy Live News |language=en-US}}</ref> 32 countries generated more than a tenth of their electricity from wind power in 2023 and wind generation has nearly tripled since 2015.<ref name=ember2024>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-07 |title=Global Electricity Review 2024 |url=https://ember-climate.org/insights/research/global-electricity-review-2024/ |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=Ember |language=en-US}}</ref> To help meet the [[Paris Agreement]] goals to [[Climate change mitigation|limit climate change]], analysts say it should expand much faster – by over 1% of electricity generation per year.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Expansion of wind and solar power too slow to stop climate change|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211014141949.htm|access-date=2021-11-24|website=ScienceDaily|language=en}}</ref>


Wind power is considered a [[sustainable energy|sustainable]], [[renewable energy]] source, and has a much smaller [[Environmental impact of wind power|impact on the environment]] compared to burning [[fossil fuel]]s. Wind power is [[variable renewable energy|variable]], so it needs [[energy storage]] or other [[dispatchable generation]] energy sources to attain a reliable supply of electricity. Land-based (onshore) wind farms have a greater visual impact on the landscape than most other power stations per energy produced.<ref name="grantham">{{cite web|url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/faqs/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-onshore-wind-energy|title=What are the pros and cons of onshore wind energy?|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622123816/http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/faqs/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-onshore-wind-energy/ |date=2018-01-12|archive-date=22 June 2019|work=Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="energyfootprint">{{cite journal|first1=Nathan F.|last1=Jones|first2=Liba|last2=Pejchar|first3=Joseph M.|last3=Kiesecker|doi=10.1093/biosci/biu224|title=The Energy Footprint: How Oil, Natural Gas, and Wind Energy Affect Land for Biodiversity and the Flow of Ecosystem Services|journal=[[BioScience]]|volume=65|issue=3|date=2015-01-22|access-date=2022-11-09|pages=290–301|url=https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/65/3/290/236920|doi-access=free|issn=0006-3568}}</ref> [[Offshore wind farm|Wind farms sited offshore]] have less visual impact and have higher [[capacity factor]]s, although they are generally more expensive.<ref name=":1" /> Offshore wind power currently has a share of about 10% of new installations.<ref>{{cite web |date=19 March 2020 |title=Global Wind Report 2019 |url=https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2019/ |access-date=28 March 2020 |publisher=Global Wind Energy Council}}</ref>
Wind energy is plentiful, [[renewable energy|renewable]], widely distributed, clean, and reduces toxic atmospheric and [[greenhouse gas emissions]] if used to replace fossil-fuel-derived electricity. The [[Intermittent power sources|intermittency]] of wind seldom creates problems when using wind power at low to moderate penetration levels.<ref>http://www.ieawind.org/AnnexXXV/Meetings/Oklahoma/IEA%20SysOp%20GWPC2006%20paper_final.pdf IEA Wind Summary Paper, ''Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Amounts of Wind Power'', September 2006</ref>


Wind power is one of the lowest-cost electricity sources per unit of energy produced.
==Wind energy==
In many locations, new [[onshore wind farm]]s are cheaper than new [[Coal-fired power station|coal]] or [[Gas-fired power plant|gas plants]].<ref name=":6" />


Regions in the higher northern and southern latitudes have the highest potential for wind power.<ref>{{cite web |title=Global Wind Atlas |url=http://science.globalwindatlas.info/datasets.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224101415/http://science.globalwindatlas.info/datasets.html |archive-date=24 February 2020 |access-date=28 March 2020 |publisher=DTU Technical University of Denmark}}</ref> In most regions, wind power generation is higher in nighttime, and in winter when [[solar power]] output is low. For this reason, combinations of wind and solar power are suitable in many countries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nyenah |first1=Emmanuel |last2=Sterl |first2=Sebastian |last3=Thiery |first3=Wim |date=2022-05-01 |title=Pieces of a puzzle: solar-wind power synergies on seasonal and diurnal timescales tend to be excellent worldwide |journal=Environmental Research Communications |volume=4 |issue=5 |pages=055011 |doi=10.1088/2515-7620/ac71fb |bibcode=2022ERCom...4e5011N |s2cid=249227821 |issn=2515-7620|doi-access=free }}</ref>
{{details more|Wind}}


== Wind energy resources ==
There is an estimated 50 to 100&nbsp;times more wind energy than plant biomass energy available on Earth.<ref>[http://www.ocean.udel.edu/windpower/ResourceMap/index-world.html Mapping the global wind power resource]</ref><ref>[http://www.ratical.com/renewables/biomass.html Biomass Resources for Energy and Industry]</ref><!-- 72 TW = 2.27 ZJ/yr, 146 billion metric tons = 1.70 to 2.72 ZJ/yr if dry --> Most of this wind energy can be found at high altitudes where continuous wind speeds of over 160 km/h (100 mph) occur. Eventually, the wind energy is converted through friction into diffuse heat throughout the Earth's surface and the atmosphere.
[[File:Mean Wind Speed.png|thumb|Global map of wind speed at 100 meters on land and around coasts.<ref name="global_wind_atlas">{{cite web | url=https://globalwindatlas.info | title=Global Wind Atlas | publisher=[[Technical University of Denmark]] (DTU) | access-date=23 November 2021 | archive-date=18 January 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118095006/https://www.globalwindatlas.info/ | url-status=live }}</ref>]]
[[File: Lee Ranch Wind Speed Frequency.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Distribution of wind speed (red) and energy (blue) for all of 2002 at the Lee Ranch facility in Colorado. The histogram shows measured data, while the curve is the Rayleigh model distribution for the same average wind speed.]]
[[File:Global_Map_of_Wind_Power_Density_Potential.png|thumb|Global map of wind power density potential<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Wind Atlas |url=https://globalwindatlas.info/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118095006/https://www.globalwindatlas.info/ |archive-date=18 January 2019 |access-date=14 June 2019}}</ref>]]
Wind is air movement in the Earth's atmosphere. In a unit of time, say 1 second, the volume of air that had passed an area <math>A</math> is <math>Av</math>. If the air density is <math>\rho</math> , the mass of this volume of air is <math>M=\rho Av</math>, and the power transfer, or energy transfer per second is <math>P =\tfrac {1}{2}M v^{2}= \tfrac {1}{2}\rho A v^{3}</math>. Wind power is thus ''proportional'' to the ''third power'' of the wind speed; the available power increases eightfold when the wind speed doubles. Change of wind speed by a factor of 2.1544 increases the wind power by one order of magnitude (multiply by 10).


The global wind kinetic energy averaged approximately 1.50 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> over the period from 1979 to 2010, 1.31 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> in the Northern Hemisphere with 1.70 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> in the Southern Hemisphere. The atmosphere acts as a thermal engine, absorbing heat at higher temperatures, releasing heat at lower temperatures. The process is responsible for the production of wind kinetic energy at a rate of 2.46 W/m<sup>2</sup> thus sustaining the circulation of the atmosphere against friction.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/13919173/A%2032-year%20Perspective%20on%20the%20Origin%20of%20Wind%20Energy%20in%20a%20warming%20Climate.pdf?sequence=1|title=A 32-year perspective on the origin of wind energy in a warming climate|journal=Renewable Energy|volume=77|pages=482–92|year=2015|doi=10.1016/j.renene.2014.12.045|last1=Huang|first1=Junling|last2=McElroy|first2=Michael B|bibcode=2015REne...77..482H |s2cid=109273683 |access-date=6 February 2015|archive-date=6 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206044746/http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/13919173/A%2032-year%20Perspective%20on%20the%20Origin%20of%20Wind%20Energy%20in%20a%20warming%20Climate.pdf?sequence=1|url-status=live}}</ref>
The origin of wind is complex. The Earth is unevenly heated by the sun resulting in the [[Geographic pole|pole]]s receiving less energy from the sun than the [[equator]] does. Also the dry land heats up (and cools down) more quickly than the seas do. The differential heating powers a global [[convection#Atmospheric convection|atmospheric convection]] system reaching from the Earth's surface to the [[stratosphere]] which acts as a virtual ceiling.


Through [[wind resource assessment]], it is possible to estimate wind power potential globally, [[Wind power by country|by country]] or region, or for a specific site. The [[Global Wind Atlas]] provided by the [[Technical University of Denmark]] in partnership with the [[World Bank]] provides a global assessment of wind power potential.<ref name="global_wind_atlas" /><ref>[https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/11/28/mapping-the-worlds-wind-energy-potential Mapping the World's Wind Energy Potential] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925180559/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/11/28/mapping-the-worlds-wind-energy-potential |date=25 September 2018 }} ''[[World Bank]]'', 28 November 2017.</ref><ref>[http://www.vindenergi.dtu.dk/english/news/2017/11/new-global-wind-atlas-to-be-presented-at-windeurope-conference New Global Wind Atlas to be presented at WindEurope Conference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925180408/http://www.vindenergi.dtu.dk/english/news/2017/11/new-global-wind-atlas-to-be-presented-at-windeurope-conference |date=25 September 2018 }} ''[[Technical University of Denmark]]'', 21 November 2017.</ref>
===Wind variability and turbine power===
Unlike 'static' wind resource atlases which average estimates of wind speed and power density across multiple years, tools such as [[Renewables.ninja]] provide time-varying simulations of wind speed and power output from different wind turbine models at an hourly resolution.<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Staffell |first1= Iain |last2= Pfenninger |first2= Stefan |title=Using bias-corrected reanalysis to simulate current and future wind power output|date=1 November 2016|journal= Energy |volume = 114 |pages = 1224–39 |doi = 10.1016/j.energy.2016.08.068|doi-access = free|bibcode= 2016Ene...114.1224S |hdl= 20.500.11850/120087 |hdl-access= free }}</ref> More detailed, site-specific assessments of wind resource potential can be obtained from specialist commercial providers, and many of the larger wind developers have in-house modeling capabilities.


The total amount of economically extractable power available from the wind is considerably more than present human power use from all sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.claverton-energy.com/how-much-wind-energy-is-there-brian-hurley-wind-site-evaluation-ltd.html|title=How Much Wind Energy is there?|last=Hurley|first=Brian|publisher=Claverton Group|access-date=8 April 2012|archive-date=15 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515154047/http://www.claverton-energy.com/how-much-wind-energy-is-there-brian-hurley-wind-site-evaluation-ltd.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The strength of wind varies, and an average value for a given location does not alone indicate the amount of energy a wind turbine could produce there.
[[Image:Darrieus-windmill.jpg|right|thumb|A [[Darrieus wind turbine]].]]


To assess prospective wind power sites, a probability distribution function is often fit to the observed wind speed data.<ref>{{cite journal | url= http://www.savenkov.org/publications/Savenkov_on_the_truncated_weibull_distribution_2009.pdf |author=Savenkov, M |year=2009 |title=On the truncated weibull distribution and its usefulness in evaluating potential wind (or wave) energy sites |journal=University Journal of Engineering and Technology |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=21–25 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222120957/http://www.savenkov.org/publications/Savenkov_on_the_truncated_weibull_distribution_2009.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2015}}</ref> Different locations will have different wind speed distributions. The [[Weibull distribution|Weibull]] model closely mirrors the actual distribution of hourly/ten-minute wind speeds at many locations. The Weibull factor is often close to 2 and therefore a [[Rayleigh distribution]] can be used as a less accurate, but simpler model.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://xn--drmstrre-64ad.dk/wp-content/wind/miller/windpower%20web/en/tour/wres/weibull.htm | title=Describing Wind Variations: Weibull Distribution | publisher=Danish Wind Industry Association | access-date=8 July 2021 | archive-date=2 August 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802193222/http://xn--drmstrre-64ad.dk/wp-content/wind/miller/windpower%20web/en/tour/wres/weibull.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>
The power in the wind can be extracted by allowing it to blow past moving wings that exert [[torque]] on a rotor. The amount of [[Power (physics)|power]] transferred is directly proportional to the density of the air, the area swept out by the rotor, and the cube of the wind speed.


== Wind farms ==
The power <math>P</math> available in the wind is given by:
{{main|Wind farm|List of onshore wind farms}}
:<math>P = \begin{matrix}\frac{1}{2}\end{matrix}\alpha\rho\pi r^2 v^3</math>,


{| class="wikitable floatright sortable"
where P = power in watts, alpha = [[energy efficiency|efficiency]] constant, rho = mass density of air in kilograms per cubic meter, r = radius of the wind turbine in meters, and v = velocity of the air in meters per second.
|+ Large onshore wind farms

The [[mass flow rate|mass flow]] of air that travels through the swept area of a wind turbine varies with the wind speed and air density. As an example, on a cool 15 °C (59 °F) day at sea level, air density is 1.225&nbsp;kilograms per cubic metre. An 8&nbsp;m/s breeze blowing through a 100&nbsp;meter diameter rotor would move almost 77,000&nbsp;kilograms of air per second through the swept area.

The [[kinetic energy]] of a given mass varies with the square of its velocity. Because the mass flow increases linearly with the wind speed, the wind power available to a wind turbine increases as the cube of the wind speed. The power of the example breeze above through the example rotor would be about 2.5&nbsp;megawatts.

As the wind turbine extracts energy from the air flow, the air is slowed down, which causes it to spread out and diverts it around the wind turbine to some extent. [[Albert Betz]], a German physicist, determined in 1919 (see [[Betz' law]]) that a wind turbine can extract at most 59% of the energy that would otherwise flow through the turbine's cross section. The Betz limit applies regardless of the design of the turbine.
[[Image:Lee Ranch Wind Speed Frequency.png|thumb|350px|left|Distribution of wind speed (red) and energy (blue) for all of 2002 at the Lee Ranch facility in Colorado. The histogram shows measured data, while the curve is the Rayleigh model distribution for the same average wind speed. Energy is the Betz limit through a 100&nbsp;meter diameter circle facing directly into the wind. Total energy for the year through that circle was 15.4&nbsp;[[gigawatt-hour]]s.]]

Windiness varies, and an average value for a given location does not alone indicate the amount of energy a wind turbine could produce there. To assess the climatology of wind speeds at a particular location, a probability distribution function is often fit to the observed data. Different locations will have different wind speed distributions. The distribution model most frequently used to model wind speed climatology is a two-parameter [[Weibull distribution]] because it is able to conform to a wide variety of distribution shapes, from Gaussian to exponential. The [[Rayleigh distribution|Rayleigh]] model, an example of which is shown plotted against an actual measured dataset, is a specific form of the Weibull function in which the shape parameter equals 2, and very closely mirrors the actual distribution of hourly wind speeds at many locations.

[[Image:Wind 2006andprediction en.png|thumb|250px|Worldwide installed capacity and prediction 1997-2010, Source: [http://www.wwindea.org/ WWEA]]]
Because so much power is generated by higher windspeed, much of the average power available to a windmill comes in short bursts. The 2002 Lee Ranch sample is telling; half of the energy available arrived in just 15% of the operating time. The consequence is that wind energy does not have as consistent an output as fuel-fired power plants; utilities that use wind power must provide backup generation or grid power reception capability for times that the wind is weak.

Since wind speed is not constant, a wind generator's annual energy production is never as much as its nameplate rating multiplied by the total hours in a year. The ratio of actual productivity in a year to this theoretical maximum is called the [[capacity factor]]. A well-sited wind generator will have a capacity factor of about 35%. This compares to a typical capacity factors of 90% for nuclear plants (like wind farms, they have negligible fuel cost, and are therefore often run at maximum capacity with the load following relegated to other plants).<ref>{{cite web
| last = Nuclear Energy Institute
| title = Nuclear Facts
| url = http://www.nei.org/doc.asp?catnum=2&catid=106
| accessdate = 2006-07-23 }}</ref>
The lower values of 70% for coal plants and 30% for oil plants reflect a throttling-back of plants with high cost fuel in times of low demand.

When comparing the size of wind turbine plants to fueled [[power plant]]s, it is important to note that 1000&nbsp;kW of wind-turbine potential power would be expected to produce as much energy in a year as approximately 500&nbsp;kW of coal-fired generation. Though the short-term (hours or days) output of a wind-plant is not completely predictable, the annual output of energy tends to vary only a few percent points between years.

When storage, such as with [[Pumped-storage hydroelectricity|pumped hydroelectric storage]], or other forms of generation are used to "shape" wind power (by assuring constant delivery reliability), commercial delivery represents a cost increase of about 25%, yielding viable commercial performance.<ref name="Mitchell 2006">Mitchell 2006</ref> Electricity consumption can be adapted to production variability to some extent with [[Energy Demand Management]] and [[smart meter]]s that offer variable market pricing over the course of the day. For example, municipal water pumps that feed a water tower do not need to operate continuously and can be restricted to times when electricity is plentiful and cheap. Consumers could choose when to run the dishwasher or charge an electric vehicle (PHEV or EV), making it very convenient. PHEV/EV's are likely to be a very important source of demand management, which would mostly charge at night when wind power is most likely to be surplus, and whose charging could be scheduled in an automated fashion for periods of greatest wind output.

==Turbine placement==
[[Image:US wind power map.png|thumb|300px|Map of available wind power over the United States. Color codes indicate wind power density class.]]
As a general rule, wind generators are practical where the average wind speed is 10 mph (16 km/h or 4.5 m/s) or greater. Usually sites are pre-selected on basis of a [[wind atlas]], and validated with wind measurements. Obviously, [[meteorology]] plays an important part in determining possible locations for wind parks, though it has great accuracy limitations. Meteorological wind data is not usually sufficient for accurate siting of a large wind power project. Site Specific Meteorological Data is crucial to determining site potential. An 'ideal' location would have a near constant flow of non-turbulent wind throughout the year and would not suffer too many sudden powerful bursts of wind. An important turbine siting factor is access to local demand or [[electric power transmission|transmission]] capacity.

The most crucial step in the development of a potential wind site is the collection of accurate and verifiable wind speed and direction data as well as other site parameters.<ref>[http://www.windata-inc.com Meteorological Tower Installation]</ref> To collect wind data a Meteorological Tower is installed at the potential site with instrumentation installed at various heights along the tower. All towers include anemometers to determine the wind speed and wind vanes to determine the direction. The towers generally vary in height from 30 to 60 meters. The towers primarily used in determining site feasibility for potential wind farms are guyed steel-pipe structures which are left to collect data for one to two years and then usually disassembled. Data is collected by a data logging device which stores and transmits data to a server where it is analyzed.

The wind blows faster at higher altitudes because of the reduced influence of drag of the surface (sea or land) and the reduced viscosity of the air. The increase in velocity with altitude is most dramatic near the surface and is affected by topography, surface roughness, and upwind obstacles such as trees or buildings. Typically, the increase of wind speeds with increasing height follows a logarithmic profile that can be reasonably approximated by the [[wind profile power law]], using an exponent of 1/7th, which predicts that wind speed rises proportionally to the seventh root of altitude. Doubling the altitude of a turbine, then, increases the expected wind speeds by 10% and the expected power by 34% (calculation: increase in power = (2.0) ^(3/7) – 1 = 34%).

Wind farms or wind parks often have many turbines installed. Since each turbine extracts some of the energy of the wind, it is important to provide adequate spacing between turbines to avoid excess energy loss. Where land area is sufficient, turbines are spaced three to five rotor diameters apart perpendicular to the prevailing wind, and five to ten rotor diameters apart in the direction of the prevailing wind, to minimize efficiency loss. The "wind park effect" loss can be as low as 2% of the combined ''nameplate'' rating of the turbines.

Utility-scale wind turbine generators have minimum temperature operating limits which restrict the application in areas that routinely experience temperatures less than −20 °C. Wind turbines must be protected from ice accumulation, which can make [[anemometer]] readings inaccurate and which can cause high structure loads and damage. Some turbine manufacturers offer low-temperature packages at a few percent extra cost, which include internal heaters, different lubricants, and different alloys for structural elements, to make it possible to operate the turbines at lower temperatures. If the low-temperature interval is combined with a low-wind condition, the wind turbine will require station service power, equivalent to a few percent of its output rating, to maintain internal temperatures during the cold snap. For example, the [[St. Leon, Manitoba|St. Leon]], [[Manitoba]] project has a total rating of 99&nbsp;MW and is estimated to need up to 3&nbsp;MW (around 3% of capacity) of station service power a few days a year for temperatures down to −30 °C. This factor affects the economics of wind turbine operation in cold climates.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}

===Onshore===

Onshore turbine installations in hilly or mountainous regions tend to be on ridgelines generally three kilometers or more inland from the nearest shoreline. This is done to exploit the so-called topographic acceleration. The hill or ridge causes the wind to accelerate as it is forced over it. The additional wind speeds gained in this way make large differences to the amount of energy that is produced. Great attention must be paid to the exact positions of the turbines (a process known as micro-siting) because a difference of 30m can sometimes mean a doubling in output. Local winds are often monitored for a year or more with [[anemometers]] and detailed wind maps constructed before wind generators are installed.

For smaller installations where such data collection is too expensive or time consuming, the normal way of [[prospecting]] for wind-power sites is to directly look for trees or vegetation that are permanently "cast" or deformed by the prevailing winds. Another way is to use a wind-speed survey map, or historical data from a nearby meteorological station, although these methods are less reliable.

Wind farm siting can sometimes be highly controversial, particularly as the hilltop, often coastal sites preferred are often picturesque and environmentally sensitive (for instance, having substantial bird life). Local residents in a number of potential sites have strongly opposed the installation of wind farms, and political support has resulted in the blocking of construction of some installations.<ref>{{cite news
|first=Jesse |last=Hogan |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/canberra-blocks-wind-farm/2006/04/05/1143916574751.html |title =Fury over wind farm decision|publisher =[[The Age]]|date = [[2006-04-05]] |accessdate = 2006-08-18 }}</ref>

===Near-Shore===
Near-Shore turbine installations are generally considered to be inside a zone that is on land within three kilometers of a shoreline or on water within ten kilometers of land. These areas tend to be windy and are good sites for turbine installation, because a primary source of wind is convection caused by the differential heating and cooling of land and sea over the cycle of day and night. Wind speeds in these zones share the characteristics of both onshore and offshore wind, depending on the prevailing wind direction.

Common issues that are shared within near-shore wind development zones are aviary (including bird migration and nesting), aquatic habitat, transportation (including shipping and boating) and visual aesthetics. Local residents in some potential sites have strongly opposed the installation of wind farms due to these concerns.

===Offshore===
[[Image:DanishWindTurbines.jpg|thumb|350px|Offshore wind turbines near [[Copenhagen]]]]
Offshore wind development zones are generally considered to be ten kilometers or more from land. Offshore wind turbines are less obtrusive than turbines on land, as their apparent size and noise can be mitigated by distance. Because water has less surface roughness than land (especially deeper water), the average wind speed is usually considerably higher over open water. Capacity factors (utilisation rates) are considerably higher than for onshore and near-shore locations which allows offshore turbines to use shorter towers, making them less visible.

In stormy areas with extended shallow continental shelves (such as [[Denmark]]), turbines are practical to install — Denmark's wind generation provides about 18% of total electricity production in the country, with many offshore windfarms. Denmark plans to increase wind energy's contribution to as much as half of its electrical supply.

Locations have begun to be developed in the Great Lakes - with one project by Trillium Power approximately 20 km from shore and over 700 MW in size. Ontario, Canada is aggressively pursuing wind power development and has many onshore wind farms and several proposed near-shore locations but presently only one offshore development in fresh water and one on the Pacific west coast.

In most cases offshore environment is more expensive than onshore but this depends on the unique attributes of the specific site. Offshore towers are generally taller than onshore towers once the submerged height is included, and offshore foundations may be more difficult to build and more expensive but again this will be determined by the specific site of the proposed development. Power transmission from offshore turbines is generally through [[submarine cable|undersea cable]], which is more expensive to install than cables on land, and may use [[high voltage direct current]] operation if significant distance is to be covered — which then requires yet more equipment. Offshore saltwater environments can also raise maintenance costs by corroding the towers, but fresh-water locations such as the Great Lakes do not. Repairs and maintenance are usually more difficult or slower, and generally more costly, than on onshore turbines due to the location of the offshore site. These costs may vary greatly depending on the exact site of the offshore development. Offshore saltwater wind turbines are outfitted with extensive corrosion protection measures like coatings and [[cathodic protection]], which may not be required in fresh water locations.

While there is a significant market for small land-based windmills, offshore wind turbines have recently been and will probably continue to be the largest wind turbines in operation, because larger turbines allow for the spread of the high [[fixed costs]] involved in offshore operation over a greater quantity of generation, reducing the [[average cost]]. For similar reasons, offshore [[wind farm]]s tend to be quite large&mdash;often involving over 100 turbines&mdash;as opposed to onshore wind farms which can operate competitively even with much smaller installations.

===Airborne===
{{main|Airborne wind turbine}}
Wind turbines might also be flown in high speed winds at altitude,<ref>{{cite web | title=Windmills in the Sky | work=Wired News: Windmills in the Sky | author=David Cohn | publisher=San Francisco: Wired News | url=http://www.wired.com/news/planet/0,2782,67121,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2 | accessmonthday=July 28 | accessyear=2006 }}</ref> although no such systems currently exist in the marketplace. An Ontario (Canada) company, Magenn Power, Inc., is attempting to commercialize tethered aerial turbines suspended with helium<ref>{{cite web | title=Magenn Power Inc. corporate website| url=http://www.magenn.com | accessmonthday=August 18 | accessyear=2006}}</ref>

The [http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/12/ecoblogit_massi.php Italian project called "Kitegen"] uses a prototype vertical-axis wind turbine. It is an innovative plan (still in the construction phase) that consists of one wind farm with a vertical spin axis, and employs kites to exploit high-altitude winds. The Kite Wind Generator (KWG) or [http://www.sequoiaonline.com/blogs/ARCHIVIOscelti/progetto_eng.htm KiteGen] is claimed to eliminate all the static and dynamic problems that prevent the increase of the power (in terms of dimensions) obtainable from the traditional horizontal-axis wind turbine generators.
A number of other designs for vertical-axis turbines have been developed or proposed, including small scale commercial or pilot installations. However, vertical-axis turbines remain a commercially unproven technology.

==Utilization==
===Large scale===
<!--Please do not change the order of countries until end of 2007 figures are available in March 2008-->
{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px"
! colspan="5" align=center style="background-color: #cfb;" | Installed windpower capacity (MW)<ref name="GWEC">{{cite web | url=http://www.gwec.net/uploads/media/07-02_PR_Global_Statistics_2006.pdf | title=Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) statistics}}</ref><ref name="EWEA">{{cite web | url=http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publications/statistics/070129_Wind_map_2006.pdf | title=European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) statistics}}</ref>
|-
|-
! Wind farm
! style="background-color: #cfb;" | Rank
! Capacity<br />([[Megawatt|MW]])
! style="background-color: #cfb;" | Nation
! Country
! style="background-color: #cfb;" align=right | 2005
! class="unsortable" | Refs
! style="background-color: #cfb;" align=right | 2006
! style="background-color: #cfb;" align=right | Latest
|-
|-
| [[Gansu Wind Farm]] || align="center" | 7,965 || {{Flagu|China}} || <ref>Watts, Jonathan & Huang, Cecily. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/19/china-windfarms-renewable-energy Winds Of Change Blow Through China As Spending On Renewable Energy Soars] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615063412/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/19/china-windfarms-renewable-energy |date=15 June 2013 }}, ''[[The Guardian]]'', 19 March 2012, revised on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.</ref>
| align=right | 1 || [[Wind power in Germany|Germany]] || align=right | 18,415 || align=right | 20,622 || align=right | 21,283
|-
|-
| [[Muppandal Wind Farm]]|| align="center" | 1,500 || {{Flagu|India}} || <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewindpower.net/windfarm_en_449.php|title=Muppandal (India)|publisher=thewindpower.net|access-date=21 November 2015|archive-date=14 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814194848/http://www.thewindpower.net/windfarm_en_449.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
| align=right | 2 || [[Wind power in Spain|Spain]] || align=right | 10,028 || align=right | 11,615 || align=right | 12,801
|-
|-
| [[Alta Wind Energy Center|Alta (Oak Creek-Mojave)]] || align="center" | 1,320 || {{Flagu|United States}} ||<ref>[http://www.terra-genpower.com/News/Terra-Gen-Power-Announces-Closing-of-$650-Million-.aspx Terra-Gen Press Release] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510173856/http://www.terra-genpower.com/News/Terra-Gen-Power-Announces-Closing-of-%24650-Million-.aspx |date=10 May 2012}}, 17 April 2012</ref>
| align=right | 3 || [[Wind power in the United States|United States]] || align=right | 9,149 || align=right | 11,603 || align=right | 12,634
|-
|-
| [[Jaisalmer Wind Park]] || align="center" | 1,064 || {{Flagu|India}} ||<ref>[http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/suzlon-creates-country/s-largest-wind-park/164779/on Started in August 2001, the Jaisalmer based facility crossed 1,000 MW capacity to achieve this milestone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001062608/http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/suzlon-creates-country/s-largest-wind-park/164779/on |date=1 October 2012 }}. Business-standard.com (11 May 2012). Retrieved on 20 July 2016.</ref>
| align=right | 4 || [[Wind power in India|India]] || align=right | 4,430 || align=right | 6,270 || align=right | 7,231
|-
| align=right | 5 || [[Wind power in Denmark|Denmark (& Færoe Islands)]] || align=right | 3,136 || align=right | 3,140 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 6 || China || align=right | 1,260 || align=right | 2,604 || align=right | 2,956
|-
| align=right | 7 || Italy || align=right | 1,718 || align=right | 2,123 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 8 || [[Wind power in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] || align=right | 1,332 || align=right | 1,963 || align=right | 2,191
|-
| align=right | 9 || [[Renewable energy in Portugal|Portugal]] || align=right | 1,022 || align=right | 1,716 || align=right | 1,874
|-
| align=right | 10 || [[List of wind farms in Canada|Canada]] || align=right | 683 || align=right | 1,459 || align=right | 1,670
|-
| align=right | 11 || France || align=right | 757 || align=right | 1,567 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 12 || Netherlands || align=right | 1,219 || align=right | 1,560 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 13 || Japan || align=right | 1,061 || align=right | 1,394 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 14 || Austria || align=right | 819 || align=right | 965 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 15 || [[Wind power in Australia|Australia]] || align=right | 708 || align=right | 817 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 16 || Greece || align=right | 573 || align=right | 746 || align=right | 795
|-
| align=right | 17 || Ireland || align=right | 496 || align=right | 745 || align=right | 866
|-
| align=right | 18 || Sweden || align=right | 510 || align=right | 572 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 19 || Norway || align=right | 267 || align=right | 314 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 20 || Brazil || align=right | 29 || align=right | 237 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 21 || Egypt || align=right | 145 || align=right | 230 || align=right | 580
|-
| align=right | 22 || Belgium || align=right | 167 || align=right | 193 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 23 || Taiwan || align=right | 104 || align=right | 188 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 24 || South Korea || align=right | 98 || align=right | 173 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 25 || New Zealand || align=right | 169 || align=right | 171 || align=right | 322
|-
| align=right | 26 || Poland || align=right | 83 || align=right | 153 || align=right | 216
|-
| align=right | 27 || Morocco || align=right | 64 || align=right | 124 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 28 || Mexico || align=right | 3 || align=right | 88 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 29 || Finland || align=right | 82 || align=right | 86 || align=right | 107
|-
| align=right | 30 || Ukraine || align=right | 77 || align=right | 86 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 31 || Costa Rica || align=right | 71 || align=right | 74 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 32 || [[Hungary]] || align=right | 18 || align=right | 61 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 33 || Lithuania || align=right | 6 || align=right | 55 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 34 || Turkey || align=right | 20 || align=right | 51 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 35 || Czech Republic || align=right | 28 || align=right | 50 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | 36 || [[Wind power in Iran|Iran]] || align=right | 23 || align=right | 48 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | || Rest of Europe || align=right | 129 || align=right | 163 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | || Rest of Americas || align=right | 109 || align=right | 109 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | || Rest of Asia || align=right | 38 || align=right | 38 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | || Rest of Africa & Middle East || align=right | 31 || align=right | 31 || align=right |
|-
| align=right | || Rest of Oceania || align=right | 12 || align=right | 12 || align=right |
|-
|
! style="background-color: #cfb;" | World total (MW)
| align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''59,091''' || align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''74,223''' || align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''79,341'''
|}
|}


A wind farm is a group of [[wind turbine]]s in the same location. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines distributed over an extended area. The land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other purposes. A wind farm may also be located offshore. Almost all large wind turbines have the same design&nbsp;— a horizontal axis wind turbine having an upwind rotor with 3 blades, attached to a [[Nacelle (wind turbine)|nacelle]] on top of a tall tubular tower.
There are many thousands of wind turbines operating, with a total capacity of 73,904&nbsp;MW of which Europe accounts for 65% (2006). The average output of one megawatt of wind power is equivalent to the average electricity consumption of about 250 American households. Wind power was the most rapidly-growing means of alternative electricity generation at the turn of the century and world wind generation capacity more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006. 81% of wind power installations are in the US and Europe, but the share of the top five countries in terms of new installations fell from 71% in 2004 to 55% in 2005.


In a wind farm, individual turbines are interconnected with a medium voltage (often 34.5&nbsp;kV) power collection system<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ewh.ieee.org/r3/atlanta/ias/Wind%20Farm%20Electrical%20Systems.pdf|title=Wind Farm Electrical Systems|access-date=2020-07-11|archive-date=18 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318210221/https://ewh.ieee.org/r3/atlanta/ias/Wind%20Farm%20Electrical%20Systems.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and communications network. In general, a distance of 7D (7 times the rotor diameter of the wind turbine) is set between each turbine in a fully developed wind farm.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Meyers|first1=Johan|last2=Meneveau|first2=Charles|date=1 March 2012|title=Optimal turbine spacing in fully developed wind farm boundary layers|journal=Wind Energy|volume=15|issue=2|pages=305–17|doi=10.1002/we.469|bibcode=2012WiEn...15..305M|url=https://lirias.kuleuven.be/handle/123456789/331240}}</ref> At a substation, this medium-voltage electric current is increased in voltage with a [[transformer]] for connection to the high voltage [[electric power transmission]] system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.windpowerengineering.com/projects/making-modern-offshore-substation/|title=Making of the modern offshore substation|website=Windpower Engineering & Development|language=en-US|access-date=14 June 2019|archive-date=24 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124094304/https://www.windpowerengineering.com/making-modern-offshore-substation/|url-status=live}}</ref>
By 2010, the World Wind Energy Association expects 160GW of capacity to be installed worldwide<ref name="wwindea"/>, up from 73.9GW at the end of 2006, implying an anticipated net growth rate of more than 21% per year.


=== Generator characteristics and stability ===
[[Germany]], [[Spain]], the [[United States]], [[India]], and [[Denmark]] have made the largest investments in wind generated electricity. Denmark is prominent in the manufacturing and use of wind turbines, with a commitment made in the 1970s to eventually produce half of the country's power by wind. [[Denmark]] generates over 20% of its electricity with wind turbines, the highest percentage of any country and is fifth in the world in total wind power generation (which can be compared with the fact that Denmark is 56th on the [[List of countries by electricity consumption|general electricity consumption list]]). Denmark and Germany are leading exporters of large (0.66 to 5&nbsp;MW) turbines.


Most modern turbines use variable speed generators combined with either a partial or full-scale power converter between the turbine generator and the collector system, which generally have more desirable properties for grid interconnection and have [[low voltage ride through]]-capabilities.<ref name="huang">{{Cite book|last1=Falahi|first1=G.|last2=Huang|first2=A.|title=IECON 2014 – 40th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society |chapter=Low voltage ride through control of modular multilevel converter based HVDC systems |date=1 October 2014|pages=4663–68|doi=10.1109/IECON.2014.7049205|isbn=978-1-4799-4032-5|s2cid=3598534}}</ref> Modern turbines use either [[doubly fed electric machine]]s with partial-scale converters or squirrel-cage induction generators or synchronous generators (both permanently and electrically excited) with full-scale converters.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.enconman.2014.08.037|title=The state of the art of wind energy conversion systems and technologies: A review|journal=Energy Conversion and Management|volume=88|page=332|year=2014|last1=Cheng|first1=Ming|last2=Zhu|first2=Ying|bibcode=2014ECM....88..332C }}</ref> [[Black start]] is possible<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-03 |title=ScottishPower in 'pioneering world first' after wind farm black-out boost |url=https://www.scotsman.com/business/scottishpower-in-pioneering-world-first-after-wind-farm-black-out-boost-3023563 |access-date=2022-09-19 |website=www.scotsman.com |language=en}}</ref> and is being further developed for places (such as [[Iowa]]) which generate most of their electricity from wind.<ref>{{Cite web |title=As the grid adds wind power, researchers have to reengineer recovery from power outages |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220531181931.htm |access-date=2022-09-19 |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}</ref>
Wind accounts for 1% of the total electricity production on a global scale (2005). Germany is the leading producer of wind power with 28% of the total world capacity in 2006 (7.3% of German electricity); the official target is that by 2010, renewable energy will meet 12.5% of German electricity needs — it can be expected that this target will be reached even earlier. Germany has 18,600&nbsp;wind turbines, mostly in the north of the country — including three of the biggest in the world, constructed by the companies [[Enercon]] (6&nbsp;MW), Multibrid (5&nbsp;MW) and Repower (5&nbsp;MW). Germany's [[Schleswig-Holstein]] province generates 36% of its power with wind turbines.


[[Transmission system operator]]s will supply a wind farm developer with a [[grid code]] to specify the requirements for interconnection to the transmission grid. This will include the [[power factor]], the constancy of [[Utility frequency|frequency]], and the dynamic behaviour of the wind farm turbines during a system fault.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Demeo | first1 = E.A. | last2 = Grant | first2 = W. | last3 = Milligan | first3 = M.R. | last4 = Schuerger | first4 = M.J. | year = 2005 | title = Wind plant integration | journal = IEEE Power and Energy Magazine| volume = 3 | issue = 6 | pages = 38–46 | doi = 10.1109/MPAE.2005.1524619| s2cid = 12610250 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Zavadil | first1 = R. | last2 = Miller | first2 = N. | last3 = Ellis | first3 = A. | last4 = Muljadi | first4 = E. | year = 2005 | title = Making connections | journal = IEEE Power and Energy Magazine| volume = 3 | issue = 6 | pages = 26–37 | doi = 10.1109/MPAE.2005.1524618| s2cid = 3037161 }}</ref>
Spain and the United States are next in terms of installed capacity. In 2005, the government of Spain approved a new national goal for installed wind power capacity of 20,000&nbsp;MW by 2012. According to trade journal Windpower Monthly; however, in 2006 they abruptly halted subsidies and price supports for wind power. According to the American Wind Energy Association, wind generated enough electricity to power 0.4% (1.6 million households) of total electricity in US, up from less than 0.1% in 1999. In 2005, both Germany and Spain have produced more electricity from wind power than from [[hydropower]] plants. [[US Department of Energy]] studies have concluded wind harvested in just three of the fifty U.S. states could provide enough electricity to power the entire nation, and that offshore wind farms could do the same job.[http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/images/windmaps/ma_50m_800.jpg]


=== Offshore wind power ===
In recent years, the United States has added more wind energy to its grid than any other single country, and capacity is expected to grow by 3 gigawatts (3,000 megawatts) in 2007. Texas has become the leader in Wind Energy production, far surpassing [[California]]. In 2007, the state expects to add 2 gigawatts to raise its existing capacity to approximately 4.5 gigawatts. Iowa and Minnesota are expected to reach the 1 gigawatt mark by the end of 2007.<ref> http://awea.org/projects</ref> Wind power generation in the U.S. was up 31.8% in February, 2007 from February, 2006.<ref>http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html</ref>
{{multiple image |total_width=500
|image1=Agucadoura WindFloat Prototype.jpg | caption1= The world's second full-scale [[floating wind turbine]] (and first to be installed without the use of heavy-lift vessels), WindFloat, operating at rated capacity (2&nbsp; MW) approximately 5&nbsp; km offshore of [[Póvoa de Varzim]], Portugal


|image2= 20210830 Windfarm power generation capacity - offshore capacity, and total needed.svg| caption2= Offshore windfarms, including floating windfarms, provide a small but growing fraction of total windfarm power generation. Such power generation capacity must grow substantially to help meet the [[International Energy Agency|IEA]]'s [[Carbon neutrality|Net Zero]] by 2050 pathway to combat [[climate change]].<ref name=Guardian_20210829>{{cite news |last1=Rosa-Aquino |first1=Paola |title=Floating wind turbines could open up vast ocean tracts for renewable power |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/29/floating-wind-turbines-ocean-renewable-power |work=The Guardian |date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830162300/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/29/floating-wind-turbines-ocean-renewable-power |archive-date=30 August 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[India]] ranks 4th in the world with a total wind power capacity of 6,270&nbsp;MW in 2006. Wind power generates 3% of all electricity produced in India. The World Wind Energy Conference in New Delhi in November 2006 has given additional impetus to the Indian wind industry.<ref name="wwindea"/> The windfarm near [[Muppandal]], India, provides an impoverished village with energy for work.<ref>{{cite web
}}
| year = 2005
{{Main|Offshore wind power|List of offshore wind farms}}
| month =February
|url=http://www.tve.org/ho/doc.cfm?aid=1678&lang=English
|title=Tapping the Wind — India
|publisher=
|accessdate=2006-10-28
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|last = Watts
|first = Himangshu
| year = 2003
| month =November 11
|url=http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22758/story.htm
|title=Clean Energy Brings Windfall to Indian Village
|publisher=Reuters News Service
|accessdate=2006-10-28
}}</ref> India-based [[Suzlon Energy]] is one of the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers.<ref>[http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/partner/story;jsessionid=EA70B1B5FF984FDD7D4FF04A44A917D4?id=45465 Suzlon Energy]</ref>


Offshore wind power is wind farms in large bodies of water, usually the sea. These installations can use the more frequent and powerful winds that are available in these locations and have less visual impact on the landscape than land-based projects. However, the construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.renewables-info.com/drawbacks_and_benefits/offshore_wind_power_%E2%80%93_advantages_and_disadvantages.html|title=Offshore wind power&nbsp;– Advantages and disadvantages|last=Hulazan|first=Ned|date=16 February 2011|publisher=Renewable Energy Articles|access-date=9 April 2012|archive-date=13 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013053638/http://www.renewables-info.com/drawbacks_and_benefits/offshore_wind_power_%E2%80%93_advantages_and_disadvantages.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.windpowermonthly.com/go/europe/news/1021043/Cutting-cost-offshore-wind-energy/|title=Cutting the cost of offshore wind energy|last=Millborrow|first=David|date=6 August 2010|website=Wind Power Monthly|publisher=Haymarket|access-date=10 April 2012|archive-date=2 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202035902/http://www.windpowermonthly.com/go/europe/news/1021043/Cutting-cost-offshore-wind-energy/|url-status=live}}</ref>
In December 2003, [[General Electric]] installed the world's largest offshore wind turbines in Ireland, and plans are being made for more such installations on the west coast, including the possible use of floating turbines.


As of November 2021, the [[Hornsea Wind Farm]] in the [[United Kingdom]] is the largest offshore wind farm in the world at 1,218 [[Megawatt|MW]].<ref name="hornsea">{{Cite web|date=2020-01-30|title=World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Fully Up and Running|url=https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/01/30/worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm-fully-up-and-running/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131051635/https://www.offshorewind.biz/2020/01/30/worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm-fully-up-and-running/|archive-date=31 January 2020|access-date=2020-02-03|website=Offshore Wind|language=en-US}}</ref>
On [[August 15]], [[2005]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] announced it would build a 1000-megawatt wind farm in Hebei for completion in 2020. China reportedly has set a generating target of 20,000&nbsp;MW by 2020 from renewable energy sources — it says indigenous wind power could generate up to 253,000&nbsp;MW. Following the World Wind Energy Conference in November 2004, organised by the Chinese and the World Wind Energy Association, a Chinese renewable energy law was adopted. In late 2005, the Chinese government increased the official wind energy target for the year 2020 from 20&nbsp;GW to 30&nbsp;GW.<ref>Lema, Adrian and Kristian Ruby, [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V2W-4NC5T5N-1&_user=642064&_coverDate=03%2F28%2F2007&_rdoc=7&_fmt=summary&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%235713%239999%23999999999%2399999%23FLA%23display%23Articles)&_cdi=5713&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=83&_acct=C000034558&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=642064&md5=ea3806a5e05a7c0146a34eb06e8aa142 ”Between fragmented authoritarianism and policy coordination: Creating a Chinese market for wind energy”], Energy Policy, Vol. 35, Isue 7, July 2007 </ref>


=== Collection and transmission network ===
[[Mexico]] recently opened [[La Venta II wind power project]] as an important step in reducing Mexico's consumption of fossil fuels. The project (88MW) the first of its kind in Mexico, will provide 13 percent of the electricity needs of the state of Oaxaca and by 2012 will have a capacity of 3500 MW.
Near offshore wind farms may be connected by AC and far offshore by HVDC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Action |first=BMWK-Federal Ministry for Economics Affairs and Climate |title=Connecting offshore wind energy to the grid |url=https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/EN/Artikel/Energy/connecting-offshore-wind-energy-to-the-grid.html |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=www.bmwk.de |language=en}}</ref>


Wind power resources are not always located near to high population density. As transmission lines become longer, the losses associated with power transmission increase, as modes of losses at lower lengths are exacerbated and new modes of losses are no longer negligible as the length is increased; making it harder to transport large loads over large distances.<ref>Power System Analysis and Design. Glover, Sarma, Overbye/ 5th Edition</ref>
Another growing market is [[Brazil]], with a wind potential of 143&nbsp;GW.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cresesb.cepel.br/atlas_eolico_brasil/atlas-web.htm| title=Atlas do Potencial Eólico Brasileiro| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> The federal government has created an incentive program, called Proinfa,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.eletrobras.gov.br/EM_Programas_Proinfa/default.asp| title=Eletrobrás — Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S. A — Projeto Proinfa| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> to build production capacity of 3300&nbsp;MW of renewable energy for 2008, of which 1422&nbsp;MW through wind energy. The program seeks to produce 10% of Brazilian electricity through renewable sources. Brazil produced 320 [[TWh]] in 2004. [[France]] recently announced a very ambitious target of 12 500 MW installed by 2010.
[[Image:Aralvaimozhy station.jpg|thumb|right|400px|View of wind farm near [[Muppandal]], Tamilnadu in India]]
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Wind Turbines installed in Chitradurga, Karnataka..jpg|thumb|right|400px|View of Wind farm near Chitradurga, Karnataka in India]] -->


When the transmission capacity does not meet the generation capacity, wind farms are forced to produce below their full potential or stop running altogether, in a process known as [[Curtailment (electricity)|curtailment]]. While this leads to potential renewable generation left untapped, it prevents possible grid overload or risk to reliable service.<ref name=maine>[http://www.pressherald.com/news/there-is-a-problem-with wind-power-in-maine_2013-08-04.html?pagenum=full Inadequate transmission lines keeping some Maine wind power off the grid – The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124094412/https://www.pressherald.com/2013/08/04/there-is-a-problem-withwind-power-in-maine_2013-08-04/ |date=24 November 2021 }}. Pressherald.com (4 August 2013). Retrieved on 20 July 2016.</ref>
Over the 7 years from 2000-2006, Canada experienced rapid growth of wind capacity — moving from a total installed capacity of 137&nbsp;MW to 1,451&nbsp;MW, and showing a growth rate of 38% and rising.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.canwea.ca/downloads/en/PDFS/Rapid_growth_eng_April_06.pdf| title=Wind Energy: Rapid Growth| publisher=Canadian Wind Energy Association| format=PDF| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> Particularly rapid growth has been seen in 2006, with total capacity growing to 1,451&nbsp;MW by December, 2006, doubling the installed capacity from the 684&nbsp;MW at end-2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canwea.ca/images/uploads/File/fiche_anglais_Dec_2006.pdf| title=Canada's Current Installed Capacity|publisher=Canadian Wind Energy Association| format=PDF| accessdate=2006-12-11}}</ref> This growth was fed by provincial measures, including installation targets, economic incentives and political support. For example, the government of the Canadian province of [[Ontario]] announced on [[21 March]] [[2006]] that it will introduce a feed-in tariff for wind power, referred to as 'Standard Offer Contracts', which may boost the wind industry across the province.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ontario-sea.org/whatsnew.html| year=[[March 21]] [[2006]]| title=Standard Offer Contracts Arrive In Ontario| accessdate=2006-04-21| publisher=Ontario Sustainable Energy Association}}</ref> In the Canadian province of [[Quebec]], the state-owned hydroelectric utility plans beside current wind farm projects to purchase an additional 2000&nbsp;MW by 2013.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.hydroquebec.com/distribution/en/marchequebecois/ao_200503/index.html| title=Call for Tenders A/O 2005-03: Wind Power 2,000&nbsp;MW| publisher=Hydro-Québec| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref>


One of the biggest current challenges to wind power grid integration in some countries is the necessity of developing new transmission lines to carry power from wind farms, usually in remote lowly populated areas due to availability of wind, to high load locations, usually on the coasts where population density is higher.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-07|title=From West to East: The Charged Challenge of Delivering Electricity|url=https://www.chinabusinessreview.com/from-west-to-east-the-charged-challenge-of-delivering-electricity/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=China Business Review|language=en-US}}</ref> Any existing transmission lines in remote locations may not have been designed for the transport of large amounts of energy.<ref name="nytimes.com">Wald, Matthew (26 August 2008) [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/business/27grid.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid's Limits] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701110101/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/business/27grid.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |date=1 July 2017 }}. ''New York Times''</ref> In particular geographic regions, peak wind speeds may not coincide with peak demand for electrical power, whether offshore or onshore. A possible future option may be to interconnect widely dispersed geographic areas with an HVDC [[super grid]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barnard|first=Michael|date=2021-11-11|title=Breaking News: China & USA Joint Declaration On Climate Action Collaboration|url=https://cleantechnica.com/2021/11/11/breaking-news-china-and-usa-joint-declaration-on-climate-action-collaboration/|access-date=2021-11-23|website=CleanTechnica|language=en-US|archive-date=12 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112143817/https://cleantechnica.com/2021/11/11/breaking-news-china-and-usa-joint-declaration-on-climate-action-collaboration/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Wind power in Europe===


== Wind power capacity and production ==
{| class="wikitable" style="foat right" margin-left: 10px"
{{Main|Wind power by country|Wind power industry}}
! colspan="5" align=center style="background-color: #cfb;" | Wind Power in Europe 2006 (MW)</small>
|-
! style="background-color: #cfb;" | No
! align=left style="background-color: #cfb;" | Country
! align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | Addition
! align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | Total


=== Growth trends ===
{{multiple image | align=center |total_width=675
| image1= 2010- Power capacity by technology - Dec 2022 International Energy Agency.svg |caption1= Renewable energy sources, especially [[Photovoltaic system|solar photovoltaic]] and wind power, are providing an increasing share of power capacity.<ref name="IEA_20221205">{{cite web |title=Share of cumulative power capacity by technology, 2010–2027 |url=https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/share-of-cumulative-power-capacity-by-technology-2010-2027 |website=IEA.org |publisher=International Energy Agency (IEA) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204170647/https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/share-of-cumulative-power-capacity-by-technology-2010-2027 |archive-date=4 February 2023 |date=5 December 2022 |url-status=live}} Source states "Fossil fuel capacity from IEA (2022), ''World Energy Outlook 2022''. IEA. Licence: CC BY 4.0."</ref>
| image2= Wind energy generation by region, OWID.svg |caption2=Wind energy generation by region<ref>{{cite web |title=Wind energy generation by region |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/wind-energy-consumption-by-region |website=Our World in Data |access-date=15 August 2023 |archive-date=10 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310222609/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/wind-energy-consumption-by-region |url-status=live }}</ref>
| image3= Wind generation by country.svg |caption3=Wind generation by country
}}
{{clear}}
{{Image frame
| caption=Log graph of global wind power cumulative capacity (Data:GWEC)<ref name="GWEC_Market">{{cite web |url=http://www.gwec.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Global-Cumulative-Installed-Wind-Capacity-2001-2016.jpg |title=GWEC, Global Wind Report Annual Market Update |publisher=Gwec.net |access-date=20 May 2017 |archive-date=12 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812135710/https://www.gwec.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Global-Cumulative-Installed-Wind-Capacity-2001-2016.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref>
| content = {{Graph:Chart
|type=line
|width=290
|height=200<!--height = 80 X <no. of log10 cycles in y axis>-->
|colors=#50A5FF,#FFC000,#87CEEB,#A4A1A2
|showValues=
|xType = date
|xAxisFormat=%Y
|xAxisAngle=-40
|yAxisTitle=Cumulative Capacity (GW)
|x= 1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019
|y1Title=
<!--Search string CASES_Y-->
|y1=6.1,7.6,10.2,13.6,17.4,23.9,31.1,39.4,47.6,59.1,74.0,93.9,120.7,159.1,198.0,238.1,282.9,318.7,368.8,432.7,487.3,539.1,591,650
|yScaleType=log<!--This is the line that makes this plot have a log axis-->
|yAxisMin = 5<!--Needed to avoid trying to show the values y2, y3 of 0, impossible on log scale because log(0)=-infinity-->
|yGrid= |xGrid=
}}
}}

<!-- START OF GW SCALE COUNTRIES CHART -->
{| style="float:right"
|-
|-
|
| align=right | 1 || [[Wind power in Germany|Germany]] || align=right | 2 233 || align=right | [[Renewable energy in Germany|20 622]]
{{Image frame
|-
|width = 250
| align=right | 2 || [[Wind power in Spain|Spain]] || align=right | 1 587 || align=right | 11 615
|align=right
|-
|pos=bottom
| align=right | 3 || [[Wind power in France|France]] || align=right | 810 || align=right | 1 567
|content=
|-
<div style="margin:0 5px -40px -70px; font-size:0.85em;">
| align=right | 4 || [[Wind power in Portugal|Portugal]] || align=right | 694 || align=right | 1 716
<div style="font-size: 120%; font-weight: bold; padding: 10px 0 12px 90px;">Number of countries with wind capacities in the gigawatt-scale by year</div>
|-
{{ #invoke:Chart | bar-chart
| align=right | 5 || [[Wind power in the United Kingdom|UK]] || align=right | 634 || align=right | 1 963
| width = 280
|-
| height = 280
| align=right | 6 || Italy || align=right | 417 || align=right | 2 123
| stack = 1
|-
| group 1 = 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 0 : 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 : 2 : 2 : 2 : 2
| align=right | 7 || Netherlands || align=right | 356 || align=right | 1 560
| group 2 = 1 : 1 : 3 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 5 : 5 : 5 : 6 : 5 : 7 : 8 : 8 : 9 : 8 : 8 : 10 : 11
|-
| group 3 = 6 : 10 : 10 : 10 : 12 : 12 : 15 : 17 : 19 : 18 : 18 : 18 : 20 : 21 : 22 : 25 : 25 : 26 : 27
| align=right | 8 || Ireland || align=right | 250 || align=right | 745
| colors = #990000 : #FFaa77 : #FFccaa
|-
| group names = installed more than 100 GW : installed between 10 and 100 GW : installed between 1 and 10 GW
| align=right | 9 || Greece || align=right | 173 || align=right | 746
| units suffix = _countries
|-
| hide group legends = 1
| align=right | 10 || Austria || align=right | 146 || align=right | 965
| x legends = : 2005 : : : : : 2010: : : : : 2015 : : : : : 2020 : :
|-
}}</div>
| align=right | 11 || Poland || align=right | 69 || align=right | 152
|caption =Growing number of wind gigawatt-markets
|-
{{Collapsible list
| align=right | 12 || Sweden || align=right | 62 || align=right | 572
| title = {{legend2|#FFccaa|border=1px solid #ccccaa|Above 1-GW mark}}
|-
|{{aligned table | cols=5
| align=right | 13 || Lithuania || align=right | 49 || align=right | 55
| style=width: 50%; text-align: left; font-size: 100%; margin-left: 22px;
|-
| 2022
| align=right | 14 || Hungary || align=right | 43 || align=right | 61
| {{flagicon|CRO}}
|-
| {{flagicon|KAZ}}
| align=right | 15 || Belgium || align=right | 26 || align=right | 193
|-
|
|
| align=right | 16 || Czech Republic || align=right | 22 || align=right | 50
| 2021
|-
| {{flagicon|RUS}}
| align=right | 17 || Bulgaria || align=right | 22 || align=right | 32
| {{flagicon|TAI}}
|-
| {{flagicon|VIE}}
| align=right | 18 || [[Wind power in Denmark|Denmark <small>& F.I.</small>]] || align=right | 11 || align=right | 3 140
|-
|
| 2019
| align=right | 19 || Finland || align=right | 4 || align=right | 86
| {{flagicon|ARG}}
|-
| {{flagicon|THA}}
| align=right | 20 || Romania || align=right | 1 || align=right | 3
| {{flagicon|UKR}}
|-
|
| align=right | 21 || Luxembourg || align=right | 0 || align=right | 35
| 2018
|-
| {{flagicon|PAK}}
| align=right | 22 || Estonia || align=right | 0 || align=right | 32
| {{flagicon|EGY}}
|-
|
| align=right | 23 || Latvia || align=right | 0 || align=right | 27
|-
|
| 2017
| align=right | 24 || Slovenia || align=right | 0 || align=right | 5
| {{flagicon|NOR}}
|-
|
| align=right | 25 || Slovakia || align=right | 0 || align=right | 0
|-
|
|
| align=right | 26 || Cyprus || align=right | 0 || align=right | 0
| 2016
|-
| {{flagicon|CHI}}
| align=right | 27 || Malta || align=right | 0 || align=right | 0
| {{flagicon|URU}}
|-
| {{flagicon|KOR}}
! colspan="2" align=left style="background-color: #cfb;" | EU27 (MW)
|
| align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''7 609''' || align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''48 061'''
| 2015
|-
| {{flagicon|SA}}
| align=right | 28 || Norway || align=right | 47 || align=right | 314
| {{flagicon|FIN}}
|-
|
! colspan="2" align=left style="background-color: #cfb;" | Europe (MW)
|
| align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''7 708''' || align=right style="background-color: #cfb;" | '''48 545'''
| 2012
|-----
| {{flagicon|MEX}}
| colspan=9 align=left | <small>ref in discussion</small>
| {{flagicon|ROM}}
|
|
| 2011
| {{flagicon|BRA}}
| {{flagicon|BEL}}
|
|
| 2010
| {{flagicon|AUT}}
| {{flagicon|POL}}
| {{flagicon|TUR}}
|
| 2009
| {{flagicon|GRE}}
|
|
|
| 2008
| {{flagicon|IRE}}
| {{flagicon|AUS}}
| {{flagicon|SWE}}
|
| 2006
| {{flagicon|CAN}}
| {{flagicon|FRA}}
|
|
| 2005
| {{flagicon|UK}}
| {{flagicon|CHN}}
| {{flagicon|JP}}
| {{flagicon|POR}}
| 2004
| {{flagicon|NED}}
| {{flagicon|ITA}}
|
|
| 1999
| {{flagicon|SPA}}
| {{flagicon|IND}}
|
|
| 1997
| {{flagicon|DEN}}
|
|
|
| 1995
| {{flagicon|GER}}
|
|
|
| 1986
| {{flagicon|USA}}
|
|
|
}}<!-- end of table-->
}}<!-- end of list -->
{{Collapsible list
| title = {{legend2|#FFaa77|border=1px solid #ccaa77|Above 10-GW mark}}
|{{aligned table | cols=5
| style=width: 50%; text-align: left; font-size: 100%; margin-left: 22px;
| 2022
| {{flagicon|AUS}}<!-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_by_country -->
|
|
|
| 2021
| {{flagicon|SWE}}<!-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_by_country -->
| {{flagicon|TUR}}<!-- https://windeurope.org/newsroom/news/turkey-reaches-10-gw-wind-energy-milestone/ -->
|
|
| 2018
| {{flagicon|ITA}}<!-- https://www.qualenergia.it/articoli/quanti-impianti-eolici-ci-sono-in-italia/ -->
|
|
|
| 2016
| {{flagicon|BRA}}
|
|
|
| 2015
| {{flagicon|CAN}}
| {{flagicon|FRA}}
|
|
| 2013
| {{flagicon|UK}}
|
|
|
| 2009
| {{flagicon|IND}}
|
|
|
| 2008
| {{flagicon|CHN}}
|
|
|
| 2006
| {{flagicon|USA}}
| {{flagicon|SPA}}
|
|
| 2002
| {{flagicon|GER}}
|
|
|
}}<!-- end of table-->
}}<!-- end of list -->
{{Collapsible list
| title = {{legend2|#990000|border=1px solid #200000|Above 100-GW mark}}
|{{aligned table | cols=5
| style=width: 50%; text-align: left; font-size: 100%; margin-left: 22px;
| 2019
| {{flagicon|USA}}
|
|
|
| 2014
| {{flagicon|CHN}}
| &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
| &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
}}<!-- end of table-->
}}<!-- end of list -->
}}
|}
|}
{{clear}}


In 2020, wind supplied almost 1600 [[TWh]] of electricity, which was over 5% of worldwide electrical generation and about 2% of energy consumption.<ref name="bpcom">{{cite web|title=bp Statistical Review of World Energy 2020|url=https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2020-full-report.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919060352/https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2020-full-report.pdf|archive-date=19 September 2020|access-date=23 October 2020|publisher=BP p.l.c.|pages=55, 59}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> With over 100 [[Gigawatt|GW]] added during 2020, mostly [[Wind power in China|in China]], global installed wind power capacity reached more than 730 GW.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> But to help meet the [[Paris Agreement]]'s goals to [[Climate change mitigation|limit climate change]], analysts say it should expand much faster – by over 1% of electricity generation per year.<ref name=":2" /> Expansion of wind power is being hindered by [[fossil fuel subsidies]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2021-10-29|title=UNDP: More spent on fossil fuel subsidies than fighting poverty|url=https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/november-2021/undp-more-spent-fossil-fuel-subsidies-fighting-poverty|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Africa Renewal|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Fossil fuel subsidies and renewable energies in MENA: An oxymoron?|last=Mohseni-Cheraghlou|first=Amin|date=2021-02-23|url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/fossil-fuel-subsidies-and-renewable-energies-mena-oxymoron|access-date=2021-11-24|work=Middle East Institute|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news|date=2021-11-15|title=COP26: How much is spent supporting fossil fuels and green energy?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/59233799|access-date=2021-11-24}}</ref>
===Small scale===


The actual amount of electric power that wind can generate is calculated by multiplying the [[nameplate capacity]] by the [[capacity factor]], which varies according to equipment and location. Estimates of the capacity factors for wind installations are in the range of 35% to 44%.<ref>Rick Tidball and others, [http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/48595.pdf "Cost and Performance Assumptions for Modeling Electricity Generation Technologies"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821101932/http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy11osti/48595.pdf |date=21 August 2014 }}, US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, November 2010, p.63.</ref>
[[Image:Urbine221dc.jpg|thumb|right|150px|This rooftop-mounted urban wind turbine charges a 12 volt [[battery (electricity)|battery]] and runs various 12&nbsp;volt appliances within the building on which it is installed.]]


===Capacity factor===
Small Wind is defined as wind generation systems with capacities of 100 kW or less and are usually used to power homes, farms, and small businesses. Individuals purchase these systems to reduce or eliminate their electricity bills, to avoid the unpredictability of natural gas prices, or simply to generate their own clean power.
Since wind speed is not constant, a wind farm's annual energy production is never as much as the sum of the generator nameplate ratings multiplied by the total hours in a year. The ratio of actual productivity in a year to this theoretical maximum is called the capacity factor. Online data is available for some locations, and the capacity factor can be calculated from the yearly output.<ref name="MassMaritime">[http://view2.fatspaniel.net/FST/Portal/LighthouseElectrical/maritime/HostedAdminView.html Massachusetts Maritime Academy&nbsp;— Bourne, Mass] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211113537/http://view2.fatspaniel.net/FST/Portal/LighthouseElectrical/maritime/HostedAdminView.html |date=11 February 2007}} This 660&nbsp;kW wind turbine has a capacity factor of about 19%.</ref><ref name="iesoOntarioWind">[http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/marketdata/windpower.asp Wind Power in Ontario] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810202450/http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/marketdata/windpower.asp |date=10 August 2014}} These wind farms have capacity factors of about 28–35%.</ref>


=== Penetration ===
Wind turbines have been used for household electricity generation in conjunction with [[Battery (electricity)|battery]] storage over many decades in remote areas, but increasingly, U.S. consumers are choosing to purchase grid-connected turbines in the 1 to 10 kilowatt range to power their whole homes. Household generator units of more than 1&nbsp;kW are now functioning in several countries, and in every state in the U.S.
[[File:Share of electricity production from wind.png|thumb|right|upright=1.6|Share of electricity production from wind, 2023<ref>{{cite web |title=Share of electricity production from wind |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-electricity-wind |website=Our World in Data |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>]]
Wind energy penetration is the fraction of energy produced by wind compared with the total generation. Wind power's share of worldwide electricity usage in 2021 was almost 7%,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy/renewable-energy.html.html#wind-energy |publisher=[[BP]] |access-date=15 January 2020 |title=Renewable energy |archive-date=6 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106215146/https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy/renewable-energy.html.html#wind-energy |url-status=live }}</ref> up from 3.5% in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2016 – Electricity|url=http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review-2016/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2016-electricity.pdf|publisher=BP|access-date=12 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910023428/http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review-2016/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2016-electricity.pdf|archive-date=10 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2016 – Renewable energy |url=http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review-2016/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2016-renewable-energy.pdf |publisher=BP |access-date=12 September 2016 |archive-date=18 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818051801/http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review-2016/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2016-renewable-energy.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


There is no generally accepted maximum level of wind penetration. The limit for a particular [[Electrical grid|grid]] will depend on the existing generating plants, pricing mechanisms, capacity for [[energy storage]], demand management, and other factors. An interconnected electric power grid will already include [[Operating reserve|reserve generating]] and [[Electric power transmission#Capacity|transmission capacity]] to allow for equipment failures. This reserve capacity can also serve to compensate for the varying power generation produced by wind stations. Studies have indicated that 20% of the total annual electrical energy consumption may be incorporated with minimal difficulty.<ref name=tacklingUS>
To compensate for the varying power output, grid-connected wind turbines may utilise some sort of [[grid energy storage]]. Off-grid systems either adapt to intermittent power or use [[photovoltaic]] or [[diesel]] systems to supplement the wind turbine.
{{cite web
| url=http://ases.org/images/stories/file/ASES/climate_change.pdf
| title=Tackling Climate Change in the U.S
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126220129/http://www.ases.org/images/stories/file/ASES/climate_change.pdf
| archive-date=26 November 2008
| publisher= American Solar Energy Society
| date=January 2007 | access-date=5 September 2007}}
</ref> These studies have been for locations with geographically dispersed wind farms, some degree of [[Dispatchable generation|dispatchable energy]] or [[hydropower]] with storage capacity, demand management, and interconnected to a large grid area enabling the export of electric power when needed. Electrical utilities continue to study the effects of large-scale penetration of wind generation on system stability.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-08|title=New research shows Wind turbines, configured right, could provide grid stability|url=https://energypost.eu/new-research-shows-wind-turbines-configured-right-could-provide-grid-stability/|access-date=2022-01-25|website=Energy Post|language=en-GB}}</ref>


A wind energy penetration figure can be specified for different duration of time but is often quoted annually. To generate almost all electricity from wind annually requires substantial interconnection to other systems, for example some [[wind power in Scotland]] is sent to the rest of the [[National Grid (Great Britain)|British grid]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-04-01 |title=Low winds blamed for fall in Scotland's renewable energy production |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-60948639 |access-date=2023-01-20}}</ref> On a monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly basis—or less—wind might supply as much as or more than 100% of current use, with the rest stored, exported or curtailed. The seasonal industry might then take advantage of high wind and low usage times such as at night when wind output can exceed normal demand. Such industry might include the production of silicon, aluminum,<ref>Andresen, Tino. "[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-27/molten-aluminum-lakes-offer-power-storage-for-german-wind-farms Molten Aluminum Lakes Offer Power Storage for German Wind Farms] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407022716/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-27/molten-aluminum-lakes-offer-power-storage-for-german-wind-farms |date=7 April 2017 }}" ''[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]'', 27 October 2014.</ref> steel, or natural gas, and hydrogen, and using future long-term storage to facilitate 100% energy from [[variable renewable energy]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Luoma, Jon R. |url=http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_challenge_for_green_energy_how_to_store_excess_electricity/2170/ |title=The Challenge for Green Energy: How to Store Excess Electricity |publisher=E360.yale.edu |date=13 July 2001 |access-date=8 November 2012 |archive-date=6 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406032321/http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_challenge_for_green_energy_how_to_store_excess_electricity/2170/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://revmodo.com/2012/08/23/power-to-gas-technology-turns-excess-wind-energy-into-natural-gas/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005211707/http://revmodo.com/2012/08/23/power-to-gas-technology-turns-excess-wind-energy-into-natural-gas/ |archive-date=5 October 2012 |author=Buczynski, Beth |title=Power To Gas Technology Turns Excess Wind Energy Into Natural Gas |publisher=Revmodo.com |date=23 August 2012}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=too old|date=January 2023}} Homes and businesses can also be programmed to [[Demand response|vary electricity demand]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is demand-side response |url=https://en.energinet.dk/electricity/green-electricity/demand-side-response/what-is-demand-side-response/ |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=en.energinet.dk |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-18 |title=Managing wind volatility in Ireland with demand response |url=https://gridbeyond.com/managing-wind-volatility-in-ireland-with-demand-response/ |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=GridBeyond |language=en-US}}</ref> for example by remotely turning up water heater thermostats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Demand Response – Analysis |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/demand-response |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Wind turbines range from small four hundred watt generators for residential use to several megawatt machines for wind farms and offshore. The small ones sometimes, but not always, have [[direct drive]] generators, [[direct current]] output, [[aeroelastic]] blades, lifetime bearings and use a vane to point into the wind; while the larger ones generally have geared power trains, alternating current output, flaps and are actively pointed into the wind. Direct drive generators and aeroelastic blades for large wind turbines are being researched and direct current generators are sometimes used.


=== Variability ===
In urban locations, where it is difficult to obtain predictable or large amounts of wind energy, smaller systems may still be used to run low power equipment. [[Distributed generation|Distributed power]] from rooftop mounted wind turbines can also alleviate power distribution problems, as well as provide resilience to power failures. Equipment such as parking meters or wireless internet gateways may be powered by a wind turbine that charges a small battery, replacing the need for a connection to the power grid and/or maintaining service despite possible power grid failures.


{{Main|Variable renewable energy}}
While installing a small wind turbine on a roof (rather than a tall tower elsewhere on a property) can be done successfully, there are a few inherent issues that this type of installation faces: Whether the roof can support the turbine's weight, how the building tolerates the vibrations from the spinning rotor, and the turbulence caused by the roof ledge and the resulting unpredictability in wind patterns.
{{Further|Grid balancing}}


[[File: Toro de osborne.jpg|thumb|Wind turbines are typically installed in windy locations. In the image, wind power [[Wind power in Spain|generators in Spain]], near an [[Osborne bull]].]]
[[Image:Wind-power-small-scale.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Small-scale wind power in rural Indiana.]]
[[File:Roscoe Wind Farm in West Texas.jpg|thumb|right|[[Roscoe Wind Farm]]: an onshore wind farm in [[West Texas]] near [[Roscoe, Texas|Roscoe]]]]


Wind power is variable, and during low wind periods, it may need to be replaced by other power sources. Transmission networks presently cope with outages of other generation plants and daily changes in electrical demand, but the variability of [[intermittent power source]]s such as wind power is more frequent than those of conventional power generation plants which, when scheduled to be operating, may be able to deliver their nameplate capacity around 95% of the time.
Small scale turbines for residential-scale use are available that are approximately 7&nbsp;feet (2&nbsp;m) to {{convert|25|ft|m|0}} in diameter and produce electricity at a rate of 900&nbsp;watts to 10,000 watts at their tested wind speed. Some units are designed to be very lightweight, e.g. 16&nbsp;kilograms (35&nbsp;lb), allowing rapid response to wind gusts typical of urban settings and easy mounting much like a television antenna. It is claimed that they are inaudible even a few feet under the turbine.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} [[Dynamic braking]] regulates the speed by dumping excess energy, so that the turbine continues to produce electricity even in high winds. The dynamic braking resistor may be installed inside the building to provide heat (during high winds when more heat is lost by the building, while more heat is also produced by the braking resistor). The proximal location makes low voltage (12&nbsp;volt, or the like) energy distribution practical. An additional benefit is that owners become more aware of electricity consumption, possibly reducing their consumption down to the average level that the turbine can produce.


Electric power generated from wind power can be highly variable at several different timescales: hourly, daily, or seasonally. Annual variation also exists but is not as significant.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} Because instantaneous electrical generation and consumption must remain in balance to maintain grid stability, this variability can present substantial challenges to incorporating large amounts of wind power into a grid system. Intermittency and the non-[[Intermittent power sources#Terminology|dispatchable]] nature of wind energy production can raise costs for regulation, incremental [[operating reserve]], and (at high penetration levels) could require an increase in the already existing [[energy demand management]], [[load shedding]], storage solutions, or system interconnection with [[high voltage direct current|HVDC]] cables.
The American Wind Energy Association has released several studies on the small wind turbine market in the U.S. and abroad, showing that the U.S. continues to dominate the Small Wind industry.[http://www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/AWEASmallWindMarketStudy2007.pdf] According to another organization, the World Wind Energy Association, it is difficult to assess the total number or capacity of small-scaled wind turbines, but in China alone, there are roughly 300,000&nbsp;small-scale wind turbines generating electricity.<ref name="wwindea"/>


Fluctuations in load and allowance for the failure of large fossil-fuel generating units require operating reserve capacity, which can be increased to compensate for the variability of wind generation.
The dominant model on the market, especially in the United States, is the propeller-shaped "Horizontal Axis" type, which resembles the large, utility-scale turbines used in wind "farms." An alternative model is known as "Vertical Axis," and rotates like a top and can come in many different designs.


[[Battery storage power station|Utility-scale batteries]] are often used to balance hourly and shorter timescale variation,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=Cheryl|title=The batteries that could make fossil fuels obsolete|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201217-renewable-power-the-worlds-largest-battery|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.bbc.com|language=en|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111075439/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201217-renewable-power-the-worlds-largest-battery|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-14|title=Report: An additional 20GWh of battery storage could significantly reduce wind power curtailment in UK|url=https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/storage/report-an-additional-20gwh-of-battery-storage-could-significantly-reduce-wind-power-curtailment-in-uk/|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Renewable Energy World|language=en-US|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226223141/https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/storage/report-an-additional-20gwh-of-battery-storage-could-significantly-reduce-wind-power-curtailment-in-uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> but [[Vehicle-to-grid|car batteries]] may gain ground from the mid-2020s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Answers to the UK's wind energy storage issues are emerging – NS Energy|date=9 September 2021 |url=https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/wind-energy-storage-in-the-uk-is-posing-problems-but-long-term-solutions-are-emerging/|access-date=2021-11-23|language=en-US|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910082016/https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/wind-energy-storage-in-the-uk-is-posing-problems-but-long-term-solutions-are-emerging/|url-status=live}}</ref> Wind power advocates argue that periods of low wind can be dealt with by simply restarting existing power stations that have been held in readiness, or interlinking with HVDC.<ref name="Czisch-Giebel">[http://www.risoe.dk/rispubl/reports/ris-r-1608_186-195.pdf Realisable Scenarios for a Future Electricity Supply based 100% on Renewable Energies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701230913/http://www.risoe.dk/rispubl/reports/ris-r-1608_186-195.pdf |date=1 July 2014}} Gregor Czisch, University of Kassel, Germany and Gregor Giebel, Risø National Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark</ref>
There have been a number of recent developments of mini-windmills which could be adapted to home use, including:
* The AeroTecture [[Wind turbine#Vertical axis|vertical-axis turbine]]<ref>[http://www.aerotecture.com/products.html AeroTecture]</ref>
* The AeroVironment Architectural Wind Project<ref>{{cite news| title = Energy Technology Center: Project Architectural Wind | publisher = AeroVironment Inc | date = 2006 | url=http://www.avinc.com/energy_lab_project_detail.php?id=85 }}</ref><ref>[http://news.com.com/Micro+wind+turbines+are+coming+to+town/2100-11398_3-6037539.html 'Micro' wind turbines are coming to town, CNET, February 10, 2006, Martin LaMonica]</ref>
* The [[piezoelectric]] windmill project<ref>{{cite news | title = Piezoelectric Windmill: A novel solution to remote sensing | publisher = Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, v. 44 no. 3 p. L104-L107| date = 2005 | author = Shashank Priya et al | url =http://mse.uta.edu/Priya/Piezoelectric%20Windmill.pdf}} </ref>
* The Swift home wind turbine.<ref>[http://www.renewabledevices.com/swift/index.htm Swift Turbines]</ref> The Swift project peaked in 2004 and has had some implementation difficulties while promising to be a low-noise/safe roof-mount/low-cost alternative<ref>[http://www.bettergeneration.co.uk/wind-turbine-models/the-swift-rooftop-wind-energy-system.html Better Generation: Swift Rooftop wind energy system discussion]</ref>
* The Motorwave micro-wind turbine<ref>[http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/03/21/micro-wind-turbines-small-size-big-impact/ Motorwind]</ref><ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2007/BUSINESS/04/15/ft.gambarota/index.html Lucien Gambarota: Alternative energy pioneer, CNN, 16 April 2007]</ref><ref>[http://www.motorwavegroup.com/new/motorwind/index.html Motorwind Turbines]</ref>


The combination of diversifying variable renewables by type and location, forecasting their variation, and integrating them with dispatchable renewables, flexible fueled generators, and demand response can create a power system that has the potential to meet power supply needs reliably. Integrating ever-higher levels of renewables is being successfully demonstrated in the real world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annual variable renewable energy share and corresponding system integration phase in selected countries/regions, 2018 – Charts – Data & Statistics |url=https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/annual-variable-renewable-energy-share-and-corresponding-system-integration-phase-in-selected-countries-regions-2018 |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref>
Consumer guides are available to help potential customers learn about residential-scale wind systems, three of which are:


[[File: Seasonal cycle of capacity factors for wind and photovoltaics in Europe under idealized assumptions.png|thumb|Seasonal cycle of capacity factors for wind and photovoltaics in Europe under idealized assumptions. The figure illustrates the balancing effects of wind and solar energy at the seasonal scale (Kaspar et al., 2019).<ref name="balancing-europe" />]]
* "Small Wind Electric Systems: A U.S. Consumer's Guide" by the Dept. of Energy's Wind Powering America program [http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/pdfs/small_wind/small_wind_guide.pdf]
[[Solar power]] tends to be complementary to wind.<ref name=windsun>Wood, Shelby (21 January 2008) [http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2008/01/wind_sun_join_forces_at_washin.html Wind + sun join forces at Washington power plant] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118135025/http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2008/01/wind_sun_join_forces_at_washin.html |date=18 January 2012 }}. ''The Oregonian''.</ref><ref name=smallWindSystems>{{cite web |url=http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re/wind/smallwind.php |title=Small Wind Systems |publisher=Seco.cpa.state.tx.us |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023190904/http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re/wind/smallwind.php |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On daily to weekly timescales, [[high-pressure area]]s tend to bring clear skies and low surface winds, whereas [[low-pressure area]]s tend to be windier and cloudier. On seasonal timescales, solar energy peaks in summer, whereas in many areas wind energy is lower in summer and higher in winter.{{efn-ua|1=[[Wind power in California|California]] is an exception}}<ref name="cleveland_water_crib">{{cite web |url = http://www.development.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_development/en-US/ExeSum_WindResrc_CleveWtrCribMntr_Reprt.pdf |title = Lake Erie Wind Resource Report, Cleveland Water Crib Monitoring Site, Two-Year Report Executive Summary |publisher = Green Energy Ohio |date = 10 January 2008 |access-date = 27 November 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081217063550/http://www.development.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_development/en-US/ExeSum_WindResrc_CleveWtrCribMntr_Reprt.pdf |archive-date = 17 December 2008 |url-status=dead |df = dmy-all}} This study measured up to four times as much average wind power during winter as in summer for the test site.</ref> Thus the seasonal variation of wind and solar power tend to cancel each other somewhat.<ref name="balancing-europe">Kaspar, F., Borsche, M., Pfeifroth, U., Trentmann, J., Drücke, J., and Becker, P.: A climatological assessment of balancing effects and shortfall risks of photovoltaics and wind energy in Germany and Europe, Adv. Sci. Res., 16, 119–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-16-119-2019 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124094345/https://asr.copernicus.org/articles/16/119/2019/ |date=24 November 2021 }}, 2019</ref> [[Wind hybrid power systems]] are becoming more popular.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-11-23|title=Turkish Cengiz evaluates expansion of its giant hybrid power plant|url=https://balkangreenenergynews.com/turkish-cengiz-evaluates-expansion-of-its-giant-hybrid-power-plant/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Balkan Green Energy News|language=en-US}}</ref>


===Predictability===
* "Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide" From Home Power Magazine[http://www.homepower.com/files/featured/TurbineBuyersGuide.pdf]
{{Main|Wind power forecasting}}
For any particular generator, there is an 80% chance that wind output will change less than 10% in an hour and a 40% chance that it will change 10% or more in 5 hours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/system_integration_basics.html |title=Wind Systems Integration Basics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607000124/http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/system_integration_basics.html |archive-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>


In summer 2021, [[wind power in the United Kingdom]] fell due to the lowest winds in seventy years,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stevens|first=Pippa|date=2021-09-29|title=UK energy titan SSE says low wind, driest conditions in 70 years hit renewable generation|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/sse-says-low-wind-dry-conditions-hit-renewable-energy-generation.html|access-date=2021-11-23|website=CNBC|language=en|archive-date=11 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111110700/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/29/sse-says-low-wind-dry-conditions-hit-renewable-energy-generation.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the future, smoothing peaks by producing [[green hydrogen]] may help when wind has a larger share of generation.<ref>{{Cite web|title='UK's largest electrolyser' could fuel hundreds of bus journeys with wind power each day|url=https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/uk-s-largest-electrolyser-could-fuel-hundreds-of-bus-journeys-with-wind-power-each-day|access-date=2021-11-23|website=www.imeche.org|archive-date=22 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122212128/https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/uk-s-largest-electrolyser-could-fuel-hundreds-of-bus-journeys-with-wind-power-each-day|url-status=live}}</ref>
* "Apples & Oranges 2002: Choosing a Home-Sized Wind Generator" [http://renewwisconsin.org/wind/Toolbox-Homeowners/Apples%20and%20Oranges.pdf]


While the output from a single turbine can vary greatly and rapidly as local wind speeds vary, as more turbines are connected over larger and larger areas the average power output becomes less variable and more predictable.<ref name="huang" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uwig.org/IEA_Report_on_variability.pdf |title=Variability of Wind Power and other Renewables: Management Options and Strategies |publisher=IEA |year=2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230204247/http://www.uwig.org/IEA_Report_on_variability.pdf |archive-date=30 December 2005}}</ref> [[Weather forecast]]ing permits the electric-power network to be readied for the predictable variations in production that occur.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Santhosh|first1=Madasthu|last2=Venkaiah|first2=Chintham|last3=Kumar|first3=D. M. Vinod|date=2020|title=Current advances and approaches in wind speed and wind power forecasting for improved renewable energy integration: A review|journal=Engineering Reports|language=en|volume=2|issue=6|pages=e12178|doi=10.1002/eng2.12178|issn=2577-8196|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Much more information is also available at the American Wind Energy Association's web site at:
* www.awea.org/smallwind [http://www.awea.org/smallwind]
* FAQ: http://www.awea.org/smallwind/faq.html [http://www.awea.org/smallwind/faq.html]
* www.awea.org/smallwind/toolbox2/index.html[http://www.awea.org/smallwind/toolbox2/index.html]


It is thought that the most reliable low-carbon electricity systems will include a large share of wind power.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tong |first1=Dan |last2=Farnham |first2=David J. |last3=Duan |first3=Lei |last4=Zhang |first4=Qiang |last5=Lewis |first5=Nathan S. |last6=Caldeira |first6=Ken |last7=Davis |first7=Steven J. |date=2021-10-22 |title=Geophysical constraints on the reliability of solar and wind power worldwide |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=6146 |doi=10.1038/s41467-021-26355-z |pmid=34686663 |pmc=8536784 |bibcode=2021NatCo..12.6146T |issn=2041-1723}}</ref>
==Wind power: key issues==
Wind power can be a controversial issue, and several main areas of dispute are debated between supporters and opponents.


===Energy storage===
[[Image:EnerconE70-Magedeburg 2005-Steinkopfinsel01.jpg|thumb|Erection of an [[Enercon]] E70-4 in [[Germany]]]]
{{main|Grid energy storage}}
{{see also|List of energy storage projects}}
[[File:20240706 Energy storage - renewable energy - battery - 100 ms.gif |thumb| Energy from wind, sunlight or other renewable energy is converted to potential energy for storage in devices such as electric batteries or higher-elevation water reservoirs. The stored potential energy is later converted to electricity that is added to the power grid, even when the original energy source is not available.]]
Typically, conventional [[hydroelectricity]] complements wind power very well. When the wind is blowing strongly, nearby hydroelectric stations can temporarily hold back their water. When the wind drops they can, provided they have the generation capacity, rapidly increase production to compensate. This gives a very even overall power supply and virtually no loss of energy and uses no more water.


Alternatively, where a suitable head of water is not available, [[pumped-storage hydroelectricity]] or other forms of [[grid energy storage]] such as [[compressed air energy storage]] and [[thermal energy storage]] can store energy developed by high-wind periods and release it when needed. The type of storage needed depends on the wind penetration level – low penetration requires daily storage, and high penetration requires both short- and long-term storage – as long as a month or more.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} Stored energy increases the economic value of wind energy since it can be shifted to displace higher-cost generation during peak demand periods. The potential revenue from this [[arbitrage]] can offset the cost and losses of storage. Although pumped-storage power systems are only about 75% efficient and have high installation costs, their low running costs and ability to reduce the required electrical base-load can save both fuel and total electrical generation costs.<ref name=dinorwig>{{cite web|url=http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/greencommercial/hydroelectric-power/dinorwig-hydroelectric-plant |title=Dinorwig Hydroelectric Plant, Wales |publisher=Thegreenage.co.uk |access-date=11 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111224833/http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/greencommercial/hydroelectric-power/dinorwig-hydroelectric-plant |archive-date=11 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=futureStorage>The Future of Electrical Energy Storage: The economics and potential of new technologies 2 January 2009 ID RET2107622</ref>
=== Growth and cost trends ===


=== Energy payback ===
Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) figures show that 2006 recorded an increase of installed capacity of 15,197 megawatts (MW), taking the total installed wind energy capacity to 74,223 MW, up from 59,091 MW in 2005. Despite constraints facing supply chains for wind turbines, the annual market for wind continued to increase at an estimated rate of 32% following the 2005 record year, in which the market grew by 41%. In terms of economic value, the wind energy sector has become one of the important players in the energy markets, with the total value of new generating equipment installed in 2006 reaching €18 billion, or US$23 billion.<ref name="GWEC">{{cite press release | title = Global wind energy markets continue to boom – 2006 another record year | publisher = Global Wind Energy Council | date = [[February 2]], [[2007]] | url =http://www.gwec.net/uploads/media/07-02_PR_Global_Statistics_2006.pdf | format = [[PDF]] | accessdate = 2007-03-11}}</ref>


The energy needed to build a wind farm divided into the total output over its life, [[Energy Return on Energy Invested]], of wind power varies, but averages about 20–25.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160409063616/http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152560/ Energy return on investment (EROI) for wind energy]. The Encyclopedia of Earth (7 June 2007)</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1504/IJSM.2014.062496 |title=Comparative life cycle assessment of 2.0 MW wind turbines |journal=International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing |volume=3 |issue=2 |page=170 |year=2014 |last1=Haapala |first1=Karl R. |last2=Prempreeda |first2=Preedanood}}</ref> Thus, the energy payback time is typically around a year.
The countries with the highest total installed capacity are [[Wind power in Germany|Germany]] (20,621 MW), [[Wind power in Spain|Spain]] (11,615 MW), the USA (11,603 MW), India (6,270 MW) and [[Wind power in Denmark|Denmark]] (3,136). Thirteen countries around the world can now be counted among those with over 1,000 MW of wind capacity. In terms of new installed capacity in 2006, the US leads with 2,454 MW, followed by Germany (2,233 MW), India (1,840 MW), Spain (1,587 MW), China (1,347 MW) and France (810 MW).<ref name= "GWEC"/>


==Economics==
In 2004, wind energy cost one-fifth of what it did in the 1980s, and some expected that downward trend to continue as larger multi-megawatt [[Wind turbine|turbines]] are mass-produced.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://arizonaenergy.org/News&Events/Uncle%20Sam's%20New%20Year's%20Resolution.htm| title=Uncle Sam's New Year's Resolution| first=Troy| last=Helming| publisher=RE Insider| year=[[February 2]] [[2004]]| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> However, installation costs have increased significantly in 2005 and 2006, and according to the major U.S. wind industry trade group, now average over US$1,600 per kilowatt,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/Wind_Power_Capacity_012307.html| title=Wind Power Increased by 27% in 2006| first=| last=| publisher=American Wind Energy Association| year=[[January 23]] [[2007]]| accessdate=2007-01-31}}</ref> compared to $1200/kW just a few years before. A British Wind Energy Association report gives an average generation cost of onshore wind power of around 3.2&nbsp;pence per kilowatt hour (2005).<ref name="BWEA">[http://www.bwea.com/pdf/briefings/target-2005-small.pdf BWEA report on onshore wind costs]</ref> Cost per unit of energy produced was estimated in 2006 to be comparable to the cost of new generating capacity in the United States for coal and natural gas: wind cost was estimated at $55.80 per MWh, coal at $53.10/MWh and natural gas at $52.50.<ref>http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/0484(2006).pdf Energy Information Administration, "International Energy Outlook", 2006, p. 66.</ref> Other sources in various studies have estimated wind to be more expensive than other sources (see [[Economics of new nuclear power plants]], [[Clean coal]], and [[Carbon capture and storage]]).
[[File:Onshore-wind-lcoe.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Onshore wind cost per kilowatt-hour between 1983 and 2017<ref>{{cite web |title=Onshore wind cost per kilowatt-hour |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/onshore-wind-lcoe |website=Our World in Data |access-date=18 October 2020 |archive-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119175742/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/onshore-wind-lcoe |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electric power, cheaper than coal plants and new gas plants.<ref name=":6" /> According to [[BusinessGreen]], wind turbines reached [[grid parity]] (the point at which the cost of wind power matches traditional sources) in some areas of Europe in the mid-2000s, and in the US around the same time. Falling prices continue to drive the Levelized cost down and it has been suggested that it has reached general grid parity in Europe in 2010, and will reach the same point in the US around 2016 due to an expected reduction in capital costs of about 12%.<ref name="businessgreen">[http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2124487/onshore-wind-reach-grid-parity-2016 "Onshore wind to reach grid parity by 2016"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117080111/http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2124487/onshore-wind-reach-grid-parity-2016 |date=17 January 2012 }}, BusinessGreen, 14 November 2011</ref>{{Update inline|date=September 2022}} In 2021, the CEO of [[Siemens Gamesa]] warned that increased demand for low-cost wind turbines combined with high input costs and high costs of steel result in increased pressure on the manufacturers and decreasing profit margins.<ref>{{Cite news|title=World's largest offshore wind turbine maker warns of price pressures|url=https://www.ft.com/content/49d77f86-2a85-414e-b879-b4c00a51887f|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-16|newspaper=Financial Times|date=16 March 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200237/https://www.ft.com/content/49d77f86-2a85-414e-b879-b4c00a51887f}}</ref>


Northern Eurasia, Canada, some parts of the United States, and [[Patagonia]] in Argentina are the best areas for onshore wind: whereas in other parts of the world solar power, or a combination of wind and solar, tend to be cheaper.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bogdanov |first1=Dmitrii |last2=Ram |first2=Manish |last3=Aghahosseini |first3=Arman |last4=Gulagi |first4=Ashish |last5=Oyewo |first5=Ayobami Solomon |last6=Child |first6=Michael |last7=Caldera |first7=Upeksha |last8=Sadovskaia |first8=Kristina |last9=Farfan |first9=Javier |last10=De Souza Noel Simas Barbosa |first10=Larissa |last11=Fasihi |first11=Mahdi |date=2021-07-15 |title=Low-cost renewable electricity as the key driver of the global energy transition towards sustainability |journal=Energy |language=en |volume=227 |pages=120467 |doi=10.1016/j.energy.2021.120467 |s2cid=233706454 |issn=0360-5442|doi-access=free |bibcode=2021Ene...22720467B }}</ref>{{Rp|page=8}}
Most major forms of electricity generation are capital intensive, meaning that they require substantial investments at project inception, and low ongoing costs (generally for fuel and maintenance). This is particularly true for wind and hydro power, which have fuel costs close to zero and relatively low maintenance costs; in economic terms, wind power has an extremely low [[marginal cost]] and a high proportion of up-front capital costs. The estimated "cost" of wind energy per unit of production is generally based on [[average cost]] per unit, which incorporates the cost of construction, borrowed funds, return to investors (including cost of risk), estimated annual production, and other components. Since these costs are averaged over the projected useful life of the equipment, which may be in excess of twenty years, cost estimates per unit of generation are highly dependent on these assumptions. Figures for cost of wind energy per unit of production cited in various studies can therefore differ substantially. The cost of wind power also depends on several other factors, such as installation of power lines from the wind farm to the [[national grid]] and the frequency of wind at the site in question.


===Electric power cost and trends===
Estimates for cost of production use similar methodologies for other sources of electricity generation. Existing generation capacity represents [[sunk costs]], and the decision to continue production will depend on marginal costs going forward, not estimated average costs at project inception. For example, the estimated cost of new wind power capacity may be lower than that for "new coal" (estimated average costs for new generation capacity) but higher than for "old coal" (marginal cost of production for existing capacity). Therefore, the choice to increase wind capacity by building new facilities will depend on more complex factors than cost estimates, including the profile of existing generation capacity.
[[File: Turbine Blade Convoy Passing through Edenfield.jpg|thumb|A turbine blade convoy passing through [[Edenfield]] in the U.K. (2008). Even longer [[Wind turbine design#Blade design|2-piece blades]] are now manufactured, and then assembled on-site to reduce difficulties in transportation.]]
{{See also|Cost of electricity by source}}
Wind power is [[capital intensive]] but has no fuel costs.<ref name="IRENA">Dolf Gielen. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20140423214203/http://www.irena.org/DocumentDownloads/Publications/RE_Technologies_Cost_Analysis-WIND_POWER.pdf Renewable Energy Technologies: Cost Analysis Series: Wind Power]" ''[[International Renewable Energy Agency]]'', June 2012. Quote: "wind is capital intensive, but has no fuel costs"</ref> The price of wind power is therefore much more stable than the volatile prices of fossil fuel sources.<ref>[http://www.nationalgridus.com/non_html/c3-3_NG_wind_policy.pdf Transmission and Wind Energy: Capturing the Prevailing Winds for the Benefit of Customers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423231722/http://www.nationalgridus.com/non_html/c3-3_NG_wind_policy.pdf |date=23 April 2014}}. National Grid US (September 2006).</ref> However, the estimated [[average cost]] per unit of electric power must incorporate the cost of construction of the turbine and transmission facilities, borrowed funds, return to investors (including the cost of risk), estimated annual production, and other components, averaged over the projected useful life of the equipment, which may be more than 20 years. Energy cost estimates are highly dependent on these assumptions so published cost figures can differ substantially.


The presence of wind energy, even when subsidized, can reduce costs for consumers (€5 billion/yr in Germany) by reducing the marginal price, by minimizing the use of expensive [[peaking power plant]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rao |first=K.R |date=October 17, 2019 |title=Wind Energy for Power Generation: Meeting the Challenge of Practical Implementation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bY23DwAAQBAJ&q=he+presence+of+wind+energy%2C+even+when+subsidized%2C+can+reduce+costs+for+consumers+%28%E2%82%AC5+billion%2Fyr+in+Germany%29+by+reducing+the+marginal+price%2C+by+minimizing+the+use+of+expensive+peaking+power+plants.&pg=PA586 |url-status=live |location= |publisher=Springer Nature, 2019 |isbn=978-3319751344 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124094409/https://books.google.com/books?id=bY23DwAAQBAJ&q=he+presence+of+wind+energy%2C+even+when+subsidized%2C+can+reduce+costs+for+consumers+%28%E2%82%AC5+billion%2Fyr+in+Germany%29+by+reducing+the+marginal+price%2C+by+minimizing+the+use+of+expensive+peaking+power+plants.&pg=PA586 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |access-date=4 May 2021 }}</ref>
Research from a wide variety of sources in various countries shows that support for wind power is consistently between 70 and 80 per cent amongst the general public.<ref>[http://www.windenergy.org.nz/documents/2005/050825-NZWEA-FactSheet4Tourism.pdf Fact sheet 4: Tourism]</ref>


The cost has decreased as wind turbine technology has improved. There are now longer and lighter wind turbine blades, improvements in turbine performance, and increased power generation efficiency. Also, wind project capital expenditure costs and maintenance costs have continued to decline.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/08/14/banner-year-us-wind-industry |title=A Banner Year for the U.S. Wind Industry |author=Danielson, David |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |date=14 August 2012 |access-date=1 March 2021 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310021408/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/08/14/banner-year-us-wind-industry |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Scalability ===


In 2021, a Lazard study of unsubsidized electricity said that wind power [[Levelized cost of energy|levelized cost of electricity]] continues to fall but more slowly than before. The study estimated new wind-generated electricity cost from $26 to $50/MWh, compared to new gas power from $45 to $74/MWh. The median cost of fully deprecated existing coal power was $42/MWh, nuclear $29/MWh and gas $24/MWh. The study estimated offshore wind at around $83/MWh. [[Compound annual growth rate]] was 4% per year from 2016 to 2021, compared to 10% per year from 2009 to 2021.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Levelized Cost Of Energy, Levelized Cost Of Storage, and Levelized Cost Of Hydrogen|url=http://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-levelized-cost-of-storage-and-levelized-cost-of-hydrogen/|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Lazard.com|language=en}}</ref>
A key issue debated about wind power is its ability to scale to meet a substantial portion of the world's energy demand. There are significant economic, technical, and ecological issues about the large-scale use of wind power that may limit its ability to replace other forms of energy production. See, for example, the annual report of the Independent Electricity System Operator in Ontario, Canada [http://www.ieso.ca/imoweb/pubs/marketReports/ORO_Report-2007-2-1.pdf]. Most forms of electricity production also involve such trade-offs, and many are also not capable of replacing all other types of production for various reasons. A key issue in the application of wind energy to replace substantial amounts of other electrical production is [[Intermittent Power Sources|intermittency]]; see the section below on Economics and Feasibility. At present, it is unclear whether wind energy will eventually be sufficient to replace other forms of electricity production, but this does not mean wind energy cannot be a significant source of clean electrical production on a scale comparable to or greater than other technologies, such as [[hydropower]]. Most electrical grids use a mix of different generation types (baseload generating capacity and peaking capacity) to match demand cycles by attempting to match the variable nature of demand to the most economic form of production; with the exception of hydropower, most types of production capacity are not used for all production (hydropower usage is limited by the presence of appropriate geographical sites). For example, nuclear power is effective as a baseload technology, but cannot be easily varied in short timeframes, and gas turbine plants are most economically used as peaking capacity; coal generation is primarily considered appropriate for baseload generation with some capacity to cycle to meet demand.


===The value of wind power===
A significant part of the debate about the potential for wind energy to substitute for other electric production sources is the level of penetration. With the exception of Denmark, no countries or electrical systems produce more than 10% from wind energy, and most are below 2% (of course, this is in large part because wind power is a relatively new technology, with the vast majority of installations having taken place within the last 10 years). While the feasibility of integrating much higher levels (beyond 25%) is debated, significantly more wind energy could be produced worldwide before these issues become significant. In Denmark, wind power now accounts for close to 20% of electricity production<ref>http://www.windpower.org/en/stats/shareofconsumption.htm</ref> and a recent poll of Danes show that 90% want more wind power installed.<ref>http://www.windpower.org/composite-1172.htm</ref>
While the levelised costs of wind power may have reached that of traditional combustion based power technologies, the market value of the generated power is also lower due to the [[merit order]] effect, which implies that electricity market prices are lower in hours with substantial generation of variable renewable energy due to the low marginal costs of this technology.<ref>{{cite journal | first1=Lion |last1= Hirth|
title=The market value of variable renewables: The effect of solar wind power variability on their relative price|journal=Energy Economics|volume=38 |year=2013|pages= 218–236|issn= 0140-9883| doi= 10.1016/j.eneco.2013.02.004 |url= https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-22900|hdl=1814/27135|hdl-access=free}} </ref> The effect has been identified in several European markets.<ref>{{ cite journal |first1 =Marijke| last1=Welisch |first2=André |last2=Ortner| first3=Gustav |last3=Resch |
title =Assessment of RES technology market values and the merit-order effect – an econometric multi-country analysis|journal = Energy & Environment|
volume = 27| number = 1| pages = 105–121| year =2016| doi = 10.1177/0958305X16638574
}}</ref> For wind power plants exposed to electricity market pricing in markets with high penetration of variable renewable energy sources, profitability can be challenged.


===Incentives and community benefits===
=== Theoretical potential ===
Turbine prices have fallen significantly in recent years due to tougher competitive conditions such as the increased use of energy auctions, and the elimination of subsidies in many markets.<ref>{{cite web|author=Reed, Stanley|date=9 November 2017|title=As Wind Power Sector Grows, Turbine Makers Feel the Squeeze|url=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/business/energy-environment/wind-turbine-vestas.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111152417/https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/business/energy-environment/wind-turbine-vestas.html|archive-date=11 November 2017|access-date=11 November 2017|publisher=TNT}}</ref> As of 2021, [[Energy subsidy|subsidies]] are still often given to offshore wind. But they are generally no longer necessary for onshore wind in countries with even a very low carbon price such as China, provided there are no competing [[fossil fuel subsidies]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=China's 2022 Wind Power Growth to Stay Strong Despite Subsidy End|url=https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/china-2022-wind-power-growth-to-stay-strong-despite-subsidy-end-23-11-2021 |access-date=2021-11-24|website=www.fitchratings.com}}</ref>


Secondary market forces provide incentives for businesses to use wind-generated power, even if there is a [[Renewable Energy Certificates|premium price for the electricity]]. For example, [[Corporate social responsibility|socially responsible manufacturers]] pay utility companies a premium that goes to subsidize and build new wind power infrastructure. Companies use wind-generated power, and in return, they can claim that they are undertaking strong "green" efforts.<ref name="green-e">[https://speakerdeck.com/resourcesolutions/the-2010-green-e-verification-report The 2010 Green-e Verification Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611235247/https://speakerdeck.com/resourcesolutions/the-2010-green-e-verification-report |date=11 June 2013 }} Retrieved on 20 May 2009</ref> Wind projects provide local taxes, or payments in place of taxes and strengthen the economy of rural communities by providing income to farmers with wind turbines on their land.<ref name="nine">American Wind Energy Association (2009) [http://www.slideshare.net/Calion/awea-annual-wind-report-2009 Annual Wind Industry Report, Year Ending 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113205504/http://www.slideshare.net/Calion/awea-annual-wind-report-2009|date=13 January 2013}} p. 11</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=1 August 2011|title=Direct Federal Financial Interventions and Subsidies in Energy in Fiscal Year 2010|url=http://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/subsidy/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001012707/https://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/subsidy/|archive-date=1 October 2019|access-date=29 April 2012|website=Report|publisher=Energy Information Administration}}</ref>
Wind's long-term theoretical potential is much greater than current world energy consumption. The most comprehensive study to date<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/winds/global_winds.html| title=Evaluation of global wind power| first=Cristina L.| last=Archer| coauthors=Mark Z. Jacobson| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> found the potential of wind power on land and near-shore to be 72 [[Watt|TW]] (~171,000 [[Ton of oil equivalent|Mtoe]]), or over fifteen times the world's current energy use and 40 times the current electricity use. The potential takes into account only locations with Class&nbsp;3 (mean annual wind speeds ≥ 6.9 m/s at 80 m) or better wind regimes, which includes the locations suitable for low-cost (0.03–0.04 $/kWh) wind power generation and is in that sense conservative. It assumes 6 turbines per square km for 77 m diameter, 1.5 MW-turbines on roughly 13% of the total global land area (though that land would also be available for other compatible uses such as farming). However, the authors are quick to point out that many practical barriers would need to be overcome to reach this theoretical capacity. The calculations of potential assumes a capacity factor of 48% and does not take into account the practicality of reaching the windy sites, of transmission (including 'choke' points), of competing land uses, of transporting power over large distances, or of switching to wind power.


The wind energy sector can also produce jobs during the construction and operating phase.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://windexchange.energy.gov/projects/economic-impacts | title=WINDExchange: Wind Energy's Economic Impacts to Communities }}</ref> Jobs include the manufacturing of wind turbines and the construction process, which includes transporting, installing, and then maintaining the turbines. An estimated 1.25 million people were employed in wind power in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wind energy industry – employment 2020 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/268400/jobs-in-the-wind-energy-industry-worldwide-since-2005/ |access-date=2022-09-19 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref>
To determine the more realistic ''technical'' potential, it is essential to estimate how large a fraction of this land could be made available to wind power. In the 2001 IPCC report, it is assumed that a use of 4% – 10% of that land area would be practical.


==Small-scale wind power==
Although the theoretical potential is vast, the amount of production that could be economically viable depends on a number of exogenous and endogenous factors, including the cost of other sources of electricity and the future cost of wind energy farms.{{Weasel-inline}}
{{main|Small wind turbine}}
{{Further|Microgeneration}}
[[File:Quietrevolution Bristol 3513051949.jpg|thumb|A small [[Quietrevolution wind turbine|Quietrevolution QR5]] [[Gorlov helical turbine|Gorlov type]] [[vertical axis wind turbine]] on the roof of [[Bristol Beacon]] in [[Bristol|Bristol, England]]. Measuring 3&nbsp;m in diameter and 5&nbsp;m high, it has a nameplate rating of 6.5&nbsp;kW.]]
Small-scale wind power is the name given to wind generation systems with the capacity to produce up to 50&nbsp;kW of electrical power.<ref name="smallScaleCarbonTrust">{{cite web |url=http://www.carbontrust.com/resources/reports/technology/small-scale-wind-energy |title=Small-scale wind energy |publisher=Carbontrust.co.uk |access-date=29 August 2010 |archive-date=14 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514062058/http://www.carbontrust.com/resources/reports/technology/small-scale-wind-energy |url-status=live }}</ref> Isolated communities, that may otherwise rely on [[Diesel generator|diesel]] generators, may use wind turbines as an alternative. Individuals may purchase these systems to reduce or eliminate their dependence on grid electric power for economic reasons, or to reduce their [[carbon footprint]]. Wind turbines have been used for household electric power generation in conjunction with [[Battery (electricity)|battery]] storage over many decades in remote areas.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://telosnet.com/wind/20th.html | title = Part 2&nbsp;– 20th Century Developments | last = Dodge | first = Darrell M. | website = Illustrated history of wind power development | publisher = TelosNet Web Development | access-date = 27 April 2012 | archive-date = 28 March 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120328083701/http://telosnet.com/wind/20th.html | url-status = live }}</ref>


Examples of small-scale wind power projects in an urban setting can be found in [[New York City]], where, since 2009, several building projects have capped their roofs with [[Gorlov helical turbine|Gorlov-type helical wind turbines]]. Although the energy they generate is small compared to the buildings' overall consumption, they help to reinforce the building's 'green' credentials in ways that "showing people your high-tech boiler" cannot, with some of the projects also receiving the direct support of the [[New York State Energy Research and Development Authority]].<ref>Chanban, Matt A.V.; Delaquérière, Alain. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/nyregion/turbines-pop-up-on-new-york-roofs-along-with-questions-of-efficiency.html?ref=earth&gwh=7741044F383A0294E75C6B34AA88E68D Turbines Popping Up on New York Roofs, Along With Questions of Efficiency] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709122333/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/nyregion/turbines-pop-up-on-new-york-roofs-along-with-questions-of-efficiency.html?ref=earth&gwh=7741044F383A0294E75C6B34AA88E68D |date=9 July 2017 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'' website, 26 May 2014, and in print on 27 May 2014, p. A19 of the New York edition.</ref>
Offshore resources experience mean wind speeds about 90% greater than those on land, so offshore resources could contribute about seven times more energy than land.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/winds/global_winds.html| title=Evaluation of global wind power| first=Cristina L.| last=Archer| coauthors=Mark Z. Jacobson| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2005/2005-05-17-09.asp#anchor6| title=Global Wind Map Shows Best Wind Farm Locations| year=[[May 17]] [[2005]]| publisher=Environment News Service| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> This number could also increase with higher altitude or airborne wind turbines.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wired.com/news/planet/0,2782,67121,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2| title=Windmills in the Sky| publisher=Wired News| accessdate=2006-04-21| first=David| last=Cohn| year=April 06, 2005}}</ref>


Grid-connected domestic wind turbines may use grid energy storage, thus replacing purchased electric power with locally produced power when available. The surplus power produced by domestic microgenerators can, in some jurisdictions, be fed into the network and sold to the utility company, producing a retail credit for the microgenerators' owners to offset their energy costs.<ref name="home-made">[http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Migration/article100906.ece Home-made energy to prop up grid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818194835/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Migration/article100906.ece |date=18 August 2014 }} [[The Times]] 22 June 2008 Retrieved on 10 January 2013</ref>
=== Economics and feasibility ===


Off-grid system users can either adapt to intermittent power or use batteries, [[photovoltaic]], or diesel systems to supplement the wind turbine.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ramirez Camargo|first1=Luis|last2=Nitsch|first2=Felix|last3=Gruber|first3=Katharina|last4=Valdes|first4=Javier|last5=Wuth|first5=Jane|last6=Dorner|first6=Wolfgang|date=January 2019|title=Potential Analysis of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Self-Sufficient Residential Use in Germany and the Czech Republic|journal=Energies|language=en|volume=12|issue=21|pages=4185|doi=10.3390/en12214185|doi-access=free}}</ref> Equipment such as parking meters, traffic warning signs, street lighting, or wireless Internet gateways may be powered by a small wind turbine, possibly combined with a photovoltaic system, that charges a small battery replacing the need for a connection to the power grid.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/13/exploiting-the-downsides-of-wind-and-solar/ | title=Wind, Solar-Powered Street Lights Only Need a Charge Once Every Four Days | last=Kart | first=Jeff | date=13 May 2009 | website=Clean Technica | access-date=30 April 2012 | archive-date=17 November 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117075022/http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/13/exploiting-the-downsides-of-wind-and-solar/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[Image:Wind energy converter5.jpg|thumb|280 px|Some of the over 6,000 wind turbines at [[Altamont Pass]], in California. Developed during a period of tax incentives in the 1980s, this wind farm has more turbines than any other in the United States, producing about 125 MW.<ref>[http://www.ilr.tu-berlin.de/WKA/windfarm/altcal.html Wind Plants of California's Altamont Pass]</ref> Considered largely obsolete, these turbines produce only a few tens of kilowatts each.]]


[[Airborne wind turbine]]s, such as kites, can be used in places at risk of hurricanes, as they can be taken down in advance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Nicola |title=The kites seeking the world's surest winds |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220309-the-kites-flying-to-harness-the-worlds-strongest-winds |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en}}</ref>
Wind energy in many jurisdictions receives some financial or other support to encourage its development. A key issue is the comparison to other forms of energy production, and their total cost. Two main points of discussion arise: direct [[subsidy|subsidies]] and [[externalities]] for various sources of electricity, including wind. Wind energy benefits from subsidies of various kinds in many jurisdictions, either to increase its attractiveness, or to compensate for subsidies received by other forms of production or which have significant negative externalities. Without the handsome tax incentives (also know as subsidies) in fact, almost no wind power installation is economically feasible at present.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}


== Impact on environment and landscape ==
Most forms of energy production create some form of [[negative externality]]: costs that are not paid by the producer or consumer of the good. For electric production, the most significant externality is [[pollution]], which imposes costs on society in the form of increased health expenses, reduced agricultural productivity, and other problems. In addition, [[carbon dioxide]], a [[greenhouse gas]] produced when fossil fuels are burned for electricity production, may impose even greater costs on society in the form of [[global warming]]. Few mechanisms currently exist to impose (or ''internalise'') these external costs in a consistent way between various industries or technologies, and the total cost is highly uncertain. Other significant externalities can include national security expenditures to ensure access to fossil fuels, remediation of polluted sites, destruction of wild habitat, loss of scenery/tourism, etc.
{{Main|Environmental impact of wind power}}
[[File:Greenhouse gas emissions per energy source.png|thumb|Greenhouse gas emissions per energy source. Wind energy is one of the sources with the least greenhouse gas emissions.]]
[[File:Wb deichh drei kuhs.jpg|thumb|[[Livestock]] grazing near a wind turbine.<ref name="livestock_ignore">{{cite web |url=http://www.uintacountyherald.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=1299 |title=Capturing the wind |first=Erin |last=Buller |date=11 July 2008 |publisher=Uinta County Herald |access-date=4 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731090354/http://www.uintacountyherald.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=1299&page=72 |archive-date=31 July 2008 }}"The animals don't care at all. We find cows and antelope napping in the shade of the turbines."&nbsp;– Mike Cadieux, site manager, Wyoming Wind Farm</ref>]]


The [[environmental impact of electricity generation]] from wind power is minor when compared to that of [[Fossil fuel power station|fossil fuel power]].<ref name=":7" /> Wind turbines have some of the lowest [[life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions of energy sources]]: far less [[Greenhouse gas emissions|greenhouse gas is emitted]] than for the average unit of electricity, so wind power helps limit climate change.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=How Wind Energy Can Help Us Breathe Easier |url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/how-wind-energy-can-help-us-breathe-easier |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=Energy.gov |language=en}}</ref> Use of engineered wood may allow carbon negative wind power.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23379076.flatpack-wood-turbines-give-wind-power-green-boost/ | title=Swedish flatpack wood turbines could give wind power a green boost | date=12 March 2023 }}</ref> Wind power consumes no fuel, and emits no local [[air pollution]], unlike fossil fuel power sources.
Wind energy supporters argue that, once external costs and subsidies to other forms of electrical production are accounted for, wind energy is amongst the most cost-effective forms of electrical production. Critics argue that the level of required subsidies, the small amount of energy needs met, and the uncertain financial returns to wind projects — that is, the all-in cost of wind energy compared to other technologies - make it inferior to other energy sources. Intermittency and other characteristics of wind energy also have costs that may rise with higher levels of penetration, and may change the cost-benefit ratio.


Onshore wind farms can have a significant visual impact.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Visual impacts and acceptability of wind farms to councillors and senior council staff in Britain | year=2022 | doi=10.1080/00207233.2021.2017174 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207233.2021.2017174?journalCode=genv20| last1=Lothian | first1=Andrew | journal=International Journal of Environmental Studies | volume=80 | pages=113–136 | s2cid=245874077 }}</ref> Due to a very low [[surface power density]] and spacing requirements, wind farms typically need to be spread over more land than other power stations.<ref name="grantham" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=What are the pros and cons of onshore wind energy?|url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-onshore-wind-energy/|access-date=2020-12-12|website=Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment|language=en-GB|archive-date=22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622123816/http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/faqs/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-onshore-wind-energy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Their network of turbines, access roads, transmission lines, and substations can result in "energy sprawl";<ref name="energyfootprint"/> although land between the turbines and roads can still be used for agriculture.<ref name="mar">{{cite web |url=http://solarwind.net.au/Documents/WindPowersStrength.pdf |title=Why Australia needs wind power |access-date=7 January 2012 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223035/http://solarwind.net.au/Documents/WindPowersStrength.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bwea.com/ref/faq.html |title=Wind energy Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=British Wind Energy Association |access-date=21 April 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419225935/http://www.bwea.com/ref/faq.html |archive-date=19 April 2006}}</ref> Some wind farms are opposed for potentially spoiling protected scenic areas, archaeological landscapes and heritage sites.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Eimear |title=Permission to build five turbine wind farm at Kilranelagh refused |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wicklowpeople/news/permission-to-build-five-turbine-wind-farm-at-kilranelagh-refused-40231644.html |access-date=18 January 2022 |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=27 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kula |first1=Adam |title=Department defends 500ft windfarm in protected Area of Outstanding Beauty |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/country-and-farming/department-defends-500ft-windfarm-in-protected-area-of-outstanding-beauty-3194391 |access-date=18 January 2022 |work=[[The News Letter]] |date=9 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Building wind farms 'could destroy Welsh landscape' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-50264159 |access-date=18 January 2022 |work=BBC News |date=4 November 2019}}</ref> A report by the [[Mountaineering Council of Scotland]] concluded that wind farms harmed [[tourism]] in areas known for natural landscapes and panoramic views.<ref>Gordon, David. [https://www.mountaineering.scot/assets/contentfiles/media-upload/Wind_farms_and_tourism_in_Scotland_-_a_review,_Nov_2017_20171106.pdf Wind farms and tourism in Scotland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921180510/https://www.mountaineering.scot/assets/contentfiles/media-upload/Wind_farms_and_tourism_in_Scotland_-_a_review,_Nov_2017_20171106.pdf |date=21 September 2020 }}. [[Mountaineering Council of Scotland]]. November 2017. p.3</ref>
* Conventional and [[nuclear power]] plants receive substantial direct and indirect governmental subsidies.{{fact}} If a comparison is made on total production costs (including subsidies), wind energy may or may not be competitive compared to other energy sources.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} If the [[full cost]]s (environmental, health, etc.) are taken into account, wind energy may be competitive in more cases. Wind energy costs have generally decreased due to technology development and scale enlargement. However, the cost of other capital intensive generation technologies, such as nuclear and fossil fueled plants, is also subject to cost reductions due to [[economy of scale|economies of scale]] and technological improvements.
* Nuclear power plants generally receive special [[Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act|immunity]] from the disasters they may cause, which prevents victims from recovering the cost of their continued health care from those responsible, even in the case of criminal malfeasance.{{fact}} In many cases, nuclear plants are owned directly by governments or substantially supported by them. {{fact}} This is a form of indirect [[subsidy]], although the size of this subsidy is difficult to ascertain precisely.
* To compete with traditional sources of energy, wind power often receives financial incentives. In the United States, wind power receives a tax credit for each [[kilowatt-hour]] produced; at 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2006, the credit has a yearly inflationary adjustment. Another tax benefit is [[accelerated depreciation]]. Many American states also provide incentives, such as exemption from property tax, mandated purchases, and additional markets for "green credits." Countries such as [[Wind Power Production Incentive|Canada]] and [[Germany]] also provide incentives for wind turbine construction, such as tax credits or minimum purchase prices for wind generation, with assured grid access (sometimes referred to as feed-in tariffs). These feed-in tariffs are typically set well above average electricity prices.
* Many potential sites for wind farms are far from demand centers, requiring substantially more money to construct new transmission lines and substations.
* [[Intermittent power sources|Intermittency]] and the non-dispatchable nature of wind energy production can raise costs for regulation, incremental operating reserve, and (at high penetration levels) could require demand-side management or storage solutions. However, it is highly unlikely that any of these storage systems could replace the energy deficit produced, say, on windless days. See 'Grid Energy Storage' section below.
* Since the primary cost of producing wind energy is construction and there are no fuel costs, the average cost of wind energy per unit of production is dependent on a few key assumptions, such as the cost of capital and years of assumed service. The [[marginal cost]] of wind energy once a plant is constructed is close to zero.{{fact}}
* The cost of wind energy production has fallen rapidly since the early 1980s, primarily due to technological improvements, although the cost of construction materials (particularly metals) and the increased demand for turbine components caused price increases in 2005-06. Many expect further reductions in the cost of wind energy through improved technology, better forecasting, and increased scale. Since the [[cost of capital]] plays a large part in projected cost, risk (as perceived by investors) will affect projected costs per unit of electricity.
* Apart from regulatory issues and externalities, decisions to invest in wind energy will also depend on the cost of alternative sources of energy. Natural gas, oil and coal prices, the main production technologies with significant fuel costs, will therefore also be a determinant in the choice of the level of wind energy.
* The commercial viability of wind power also depends on the pricing regime for power producers. Electricity prices are highly regulated worldwide, and in many locations may not reflect the full cost of production, let alone indirect subsidies or negative externalities. Certain jurisdictions or customers may enter into long-term pricing contracts for wind to reduce the risk of future pricing changes, thereby ensuring more stable returns for projects at the development stage. These may take the form of standard offer contracts, whereby the system operator undertakes to purchase power from wind at a fixed price for a certain period (perhaps up to a limit); these prices may be different than purchase prices from other sources, and even incorporate an implicit subsidy.
* In jurisdictions where the price paid to producers for electricity is based on market mechanisms, revenue for all producers per unit is higher when their production coincides with periods of higher prices. The profitability of wind farms will therefore be higher if their production schedule coincides with these periods (generally, high demand / low supply situations). If wind represents a significant portion of supply, average revenue per unit of production may be lower as more expensive and less-efficient forms of generation, which typically set revenue levels, are displaced from [[economic dispatch]]. {{fact}} This may be of particular concern if the output of many wind plants in a market have strong temporal correlation. In economic terms, the [[marginal revenue]] of the wind sector as penetration increases may diminish.


Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest potential impacts on wildlife of onshore wind farms,<ref name="energyfootprint" /> but the worldwide ecological impact is minimal.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last1=Dunnett|first1=Sebastian|last2=Holland|first2=Robert A.|last3=Taylor|first3=Gail|last4=Eigenbrod|first4=Felix|date=2022-02-08|title=Predicted wind and solar energy expansion has minimal overlap with multiple conservation priorities across global regions|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=119|issue=6|doi=10.1073/pnas.2104764119|doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424|pmid=35101973|pmc=8832964 |bibcode=2022PNAS..11904764D }}</ref> Thousands of birds and bats, including rare species, have been killed by wind turbine blades,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hosansky|first=David|date=April 1, 2011|title=Wind Power: Is wind energy good for the environment?|journal=CQ Researcher}}</ref> though wind turbines are responsible for far fewer bird deaths than fossil-fueled power stations when climate change effects are included.<ref name=":10">{{cite journal|last1=Sovacool|first1=B. K.|year=2013|title=The avian benefits of wind energy: A 2009 update|journal=Renewable Energy|volume=49|pages=19–24|doi=10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.074|bibcode=2013REne...49...19S }}</ref> Not including these effects, modern wind turbines kill about 0.273 birds per GWh in comparison with 0.200 by coal power plants.<ref name=":10" /> The effects of wind turbines on birds can be mitigated with proper wildlife monitoring.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Parisé|first1=J.|last2=Walker|first2=T. R.|year=2017|title=Industrial wind turbine post-construction bird and bat monitoring: A policy framework for Canada|journal=Journal of Environmental Management|volume=201|pages=252–259|doi=10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.06.052|pmid=28672197|bibcode=2017JEnvM.201..252P }}</ref>
==Intermittency and variability==
{{main|Intermittent Power Sources}}


Many wind turbine blades are made of [[fiberglass]], and have a lifetime of 20 years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Journalist |first=Energy |date=2022-08-29 |title=How to manage future waste from wind turbine blades |url=https://www.energymagazine.com.au/how-to-manage-future-waste-from-wind-turbine-blades/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Energy Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Blades are hollow: some blades are crushed to reduce their volume and then landfilled.<ref name="Argus">{{cite news |last1=Joe Sneve |title=Sioux Falls landfill tightens rules after Iowa dumps dozens of wind turbine blades |url=https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/city/2019/08/27/why-sioux-falls-landfill-has-crack-down-dumping-minnesotas-wind-turbine-blades/2125629001/ |access-date=5 September 2019 |work=[[Argus Leader]] |date=4 September 2019 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124094305/https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/city/2019/08/27/why-sioux-falls-landfill-has-crack-down-dumping-minnesotas-wind-turbine-blades/2125629001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, as they can take a lot of weight they can be made into long lasting small bridges for walkers or cyclists.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-09-07 |title=Renewable energy: The upcycled wind turbines getting a second life |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-66735712 |access-date=2023-09-07}}</ref> Blade end-of-life is complicated,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beauson |first1=J. |last2=Laurent |first2=A. |last3=Rudolph |first3=D. P. |last4=Pagh Jensen |first4=J. |date=2022-03-01 |title=The complex end-of-life of wind turbine blades: A review of the European context |journal=Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews |language=en |volume=155 |pages=111847 |doi=10.1016/j.rser.2021.111847 |s2cid=244696750 |issn=1364-0321|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022RSERv.15511847B }}</ref> and blades manufactured in the 2020s are more likely to be designed to be completely recyclable.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=These bike shelters are made from wind turbines. |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/recycle-bike-wind-turbine/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=World Economic Forum |date=19 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
Electricity generated from wind power can be highly variable at several different timescales: from hour to hour, daily, and seasonally. Annual variation also exists, but is not as significant. This variability can present substantial challenges to incorporating large amounts of wind power into a grid system, since to maintain grid stability, energy supply and demand must remain in balance.


Wind turbines also generate noise. At a distance of {{convert|300|m}}, this may be around 45&nbsp;dB, which is slightly louder than a refrigerator. At {{convert|1.5|km|abbr=on|0}}, they become inaudible.<ref>[http://www.gereports.com/post/92442325225/how-loud-is-a-wind-turbine How Loud Is A Wind Turbine?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215232603/http://www.gereports.com/post/92442325225/how-loud-is-a-wind-turbine |date=15 December 2014 }}. GE Reports (2 August 2014). Retrieved on 20 July 2016.</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Gipe, Paul |title=Wind Energy Comes of Age |url=https://archive.org/details/windenergycomeso00gipe |url-access=registration |date=1995 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-10924-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/windenergycomeso00gipe/page/376 376]–}}</ref> There are anecdotal reports of negative health effects on people who live very close to wind turbines.<ref>{{cite journal | author= Gohlke JM et al. Environmental Health Perspectives | title= Health, Economy, and Environment: Sustainable Energy Choices for a Nation | pmc=2430245 | year= 2008 | volume= 116 | issue= 6 | pages= A236–A237 | doi= 10.1289/ehp.11602 | journal= Environmental Health Perspectives | pmid= 18560493}}</ref> Peer-reviewed research has generally not supported these claims.<ref>Professor Simon Chapman. "[http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/10559 Summary of main conclusions reached in 25 reviews of the research literature on wind farms and health] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522134504/https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/10559 |date=22 May 2019 }}" [[Sydney University]] School of Public Health, April 2015</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.thestar.com/business/article/738734--wind-gets-clean-bill-of-health | title = Wind Gets Clean Bill of Health | last = Hamilton | first = Tyler | date = 15 December 2009 | newspaper = [[Toronto Star]] | pages = B1–B2 | access-date = 16 December 2009 | location = [[Toronto]] | archive-date = 18 October 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121018233814/http://www.thestar.com/business/article/738734--wind-gets-clean-bill-of-health | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>Colby, W. David et al. (December 2009) [http://www.canwea.ca/pdf/talkwind/Wind_Turbine_Sound_and_Health_Effects.pdf "Wind Turbine Sound and Health Effects: An Expert Panel Review"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618045430/https://canwea.ca/pdf/talkwind/Wind_Turbine_Sound_and_Health_Effects.pdf |date=18 June 2020 }}, Canadian Wind Energy Association.</ref>
While the negative effects of intermittency have to be considered in the economics of power generation, wind is unlikely to suffer momentary failure of large amounts of generation, which may be a concern with some traditional power plants. In this sense, it may be more reliable (albeit variable) due to the distributed nature of generation. That said, winds often stagnate during periods of peak demand, such as during heat waves. [http://www.ecolo.org/documents/documents_in_english/Wind-heat-06-5pc.htm][http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/09/19/a12_4.php]


== Politics ==
Wind speeds are generally much lower during periods of the highest peak-load demand (the months of June, July and August) in North America. There is an inverse relationship with wind speed and peak demand of electricity. Many grid planners do not even adjust their calculations to account for wind power installations because of that inverse (albeit happenstance) relationship.


=== Central government ===
Intermittency is a major problem that may well limit the effectiveness of wind power generation. The 'Renewable Energy in Scotland Inquiry' pointed concluded:


<blockquote>i. Wind turbines by the nature of the prime mover only offer sporadic energy production.</blockquote>
<blockquote>ii. Wind energy will always be a secondary, intermittent, unreliable energy source and can never satisfy a base load demand. This is the direct opposite of most other forms of electricity generation.</blockquote>
<blockquote>iii. (Wind power) is a profligate waste of our most precious resource - wild land.<ref>[http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/enterprise/inquiries/rei/ec04-reis-tubb,mrallanj.htm]</ref> </blockquote>


Although wind turbines with fixed bases are a mature technology and new installations are generally no longer subsidized,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Buljan |first=Adrijana |date=2022-11-11 |title=RWE Wins Dutch Subsidy-Free Offshore Wind Tender with 760 MW Project Including Green Hydrogen and Floating Solar |url=https://www.offshorewind.biz/2022/11/11/rwe-wins-dutch-subsidy-free-offshore-wind-tender-with-760-mw-project-including-green-hydrogen-and-floating-solar/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=Offshore Wind |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese Offshore Wind Capacity Boom Driven By State Subsidies |url=https://www.rigzone.com/news/chinese_offshore_wind_capacity_boom_driven_by_state_subsidies-23-nov-2022-171136-article/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=www.rigzone.com |language=en |quote=A key driver of the rush to add capacity was the termination of central government subsidies at the end of 2021.}}</ref> floating wind turbines are a relatively new technology so some governments subsidize them, for example to use deeper waters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Floating wind could be the key to clean energy transition |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/floating-wind-float-like-a-wind-turbine-on-the-high-sea/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=World Economic Forum |date=27 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>


[[Fossil fuel subsidies]] by some governments are slowing the growth of renewables.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Timperley |first=Jocelyn |date=2021-10-20 |title=Why fossil fuel subsidies are so hard to kill |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=598 |issue=7881 |pages=403–405 |doi=10.1038/d41586-021-02847-2 |pmid=34671143 |bibcode=2021Natur.598..403T |s2cid=239052649 |quote=Fossil-fuel subsidies are one of the biggest financial barriers hampering the world’s shift to renewable energy sources.|doi-access=free }}</ref>


Permitting of wind farms can take years and some governments are trying to speed up – the wind industry says this will help limit climate change and increase energy security<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explainer: What is offshore wind and what does its future look like? |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/11/offshore-wind-farms-future-renewables/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=World Economic Forum |date=22 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> – sometimes groups such as [[Fishing industry|fishers]] resist this<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=Heather |date=2022-12-01 |title=Biden wants to launch 16 offshore wind farms. Can he? |url=https://www.eenews.net/articles/biden-wants-to-launch16-offshore-wind-farms-can-he/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=E&E News |language=en-US}}</ref> but governments say that rules protecting biodiversity will still be followed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Europe takes emergency action to remove permitting bottlenecks for wind power {{!}} REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world |url=https://www.evwind.es/2022/11/08/europe-takes-emergency-action-to-remove-permitting-bottlenecks-for-wind-power/88716 |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=www.evwind.es |date=8 November 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Grid management===
Grid operators routinely control the supply of electricity by cycling generating plants on or off at different timescales. Most grids also have some degree of control over demand, through either [[demand management]] or [[load shedding]]. Management of either supply or demand has economic implications for suppliers, consumers and grid operators but is already widespread.


=== Public opinion ===
Variability of wind output creates a challenge to integrating high levels of wind into energy grids based on existing operating procedures. Critics of wind energy argue that methods to manage variability increase the total cost of wind energy production substantially at high levels of penetration, while supporters note that tools to manage variable energy sources already exist and are economical, given the other advantages of wind energy. Supporters note that the variability of the grid due to the failure of power stations themselves, or the sudden change of loads, exceeds the likely rate of change of even very large wind power penetrations.
[[File:202307 Survey - comfortable with solar wind nuclear in my community.svg|thumb |Acceptance of wind and solar facilities in one's community is stronger among U.S. Democrats (blue), while acceptance of nuclear power plants is stronger among U.S. Republicans (red).<ref name=WashPost_20231003>{{cite news |last1=Chiu |first1=Allyson |last2=Guskin |first2=Emily |last3=Clement |first3=Scott |title=Americans don't hate living near solar and wind farms as much as you might think |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/10/03/solar-panels-wind-turbines-nimby/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003211732/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/10/03/solar-panels-wind-turbines-nimby/ |archive-date=3 October 2023 | url-status=live }}</ref>]]
Surveys of public attitudes across [[Europe]] and in many other countries show strong public support for wind power.<ref name="com" /><ref name="vipublic">{{cite web |url= http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publications/WD/WD22vi_public.pdf |title=A Summary of Opinion Surveys on Wind Power |access-date=17 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502230544/http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publications/WD/WD22vi_public.pdf |archive-date=2 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="eon">{{cite web | url=http://eon-uk.com/generation/publicattitudes.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504073200/http://eon-uk.com/generation/publicattitudes.aspx |archive-date=4 May 2012 |title=Public attitudes to wind farms |publisher=Eon-uk.com |date=28 February 2008 |access-date=17 January 2012}}</ref> Bakker et al. (2012) found in their study that residents who did not want turbines built near them suffered significantly more stress than those who "benefited economically from wind turbines".<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bakker|first1=R.H.|last2=Pedersen|first2=E|date=2012|title=Impact of wind turbine sound on annoyance, self-reported sleep disturbance and psychological distress|journal=Science of the Total Environment|volume=425|pages=42–51|doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.03.005|pmid=22481052|bibcode=2012ScTEn.425...42B|hdl=11370/e2c2a869-d1b6-4c61-ac35-2df8596a2402|s2cid=6845478 |url=https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/6778721/Bakker_2012_Sci_Total_Environm.pdf|hdl-access=free|access-date=14 December 2019|archive-date=18 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218065746/https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/6778721/Bakker_2012_Sci_Total_Environm.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>


Although wind power is a popular form of energy generation, onshore or near offshore wind farms are sometimes opposed for their impact on the landscape (especially scenic areas, heritage areas and archaeological landscapes), as well as noise, and impact on tourism.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-24|title=Opposition to wind farm plans because of negative impact on 'tourism'|url=https://nation.cymru/news/opposition-to-wind-farm-plans-because-of-negative-impact-on-tourism/|access-date=2021-11-16|website=Nation.Cymru|language=en-GB|archive-date=16 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116180821/https://nation.cymru/news/opposition-to-wind-farm-plans-because-of-negative-impact-on-tourism/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Schultz|first=Norm|title=Wind Farm Opposition in the Great Lakes|url=https://www.tradeonlytoday.com/columns-blogs/wind-farm-opposition-in-the-great-lakes|access-date=2021-11-16|website=Trade Only Today|date=29 June 2021 |language=en-us|archive-date=16 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116180821/https://www.tradeonlytoday.com/columns-blogs/wind-farm-opposition-in-the-great-lakes|url-status=live}}</ref>
There is no generally accepted "maximum" level of wind penetration, and practical limitations will depend on the configuration of existing generating plants, pricing mechanisms, capacity for storage or demand management, and other factors.


In other cases, there is [[Community wind energy|direct community ownership of wind farms]]. The hundreds of thousands of people who have become involved in Germany's small and medium-sized wind farms demonstrate such support there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/technology/my-take/community-wind-farm.html |title=Community Power Empowers |publisher=Dsc.discovery.com |date=26 May 2009 |access-date=17 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325021002/http://dsc.discovery.com/technology/my-take/community-wind-farm.html |archive-date=25 March 2009 }}</ref>
A number of studies for various locations have indicated that at least 20% of the total electrical energy consumption may be incorporated with minimal difficulty<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ases.org/climatechange/climate_change.pdf| title=Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.| first=| last=| publisher=American Solar Energy Society| year=[[January]] [[2007]]| accessdate=2007-09-05}}</ref>. These studies have generally been for locations with reasonable geographic diversity of wind; suitable generation profile (such as some degree of dispatchable energy and particularly hydropower with storage capacity); existing or contemplated demand management; and interconnection/links into a larger grid area allowing for import and export of electricity when needed. Beyond this level, there are few technical reasons why more wind power could not be incorporated, but the economic implications become more significant and other solutions may be preferred.


A 2010 Harris Poll found strong support for wind power in Germany, other European countries, and the United States.<ref name="com" /><ref name="vipublic" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eon-uk.com/generation/publicattitudes.aspx |title=Public attitudes to wind farms |publisher=Eon-uk.com |date=28 February 2008 |access-date=17 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314142558/http://www.eon-uk.com/generation/publicattitudes.aspx |archive-date=14 March 2012}}</ref>
At present, very few locations have penetration of wind energy above 5%. Germany, Spain, and Portugal all have penetration levels above 20%, however, and Denmark's penetration is over 40%, demonstrating that the technical issues are manageable at relatively high levels. The penetration of intermittent powersources in Denmark is even higher since 20% of Denmarks electricity is produced by decentral combined heat-powerplants that only produce electricity when there is a demand for heat. However, it should also be noted that the Danish grid is heavily interconnected to the German and broader European electrical grid and can both supply and demand electricity from a broader area than just the Danish grid. In practice Denmark has solved its grid management problems by exporting almost half of its windpower to Norway. The correlation between electricity export and wind power production is very strong.<ref> http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wp-content/uploads/dk-analysis-wind.pdf </ref>.


Public support in the United States has decreased from 75% in 2020 to 62% in 2021, with the Democratic Party supporting the use of wind energy twice as much as the Republican Party.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/08/most-americans-support-expanding-solar-and-wind-energy-but-republican-support-has-dropped/ | title=Most Americans support expanding solar and wind energy, but Republican support has dropped | date=8 June 2021 }}</ref> President Biden has signed an executive order to begin building large scale wind farms.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-administration-jumpstarts-offshore-wind-energy-projects-to-create-jobs/ | title=FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Jumpstarts Offshore Wind Energy Projects to Create Jobs | newspaper=The White House | date=29 March 2021 }}</ref>
===Grid energy storage===
See article: [[Grid energy storage]].


In [[China]], Shen et al. (2019) found that Chinese city-dwellers may be resistant to building wind turbines in urban areas, with a surprisingly high proportion of people citing an unfounded fear of radiation as driving their concerns.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Shen | first1 = Shiran Victoria | last2 = Cain | first2 = Bruce E. | last3 = Hui | first3 = Iris | title = Public receptivity in China towards wind energy generators: A survey experimental approach | journal = Energy Policy | volume = 129 | pages = 619–627 | doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2019.02.055| year = 2019| bibcode = 2019EnPol.129..619S | s2cid = 159387276 }}</ref> Also, the study finds that like their counterparts in OECD countries, urban Chinese respondents are sensitive to direct costs and wildlife externalities. Distributing relevant information about turbines to the public may alleviate resistance.
A grid energy storage system is a potential means of increasing the amount of usable wind energy in a given electrical system (penetration rates) by making use of 'wind energy storage systems'. Effectively, "surplus" wind energy could be used to store electricity in usable form. Storage of electricity would effectively [[arbitrage]] between the cost of electricity at periods of high supply and low demand, and the higher cost at periods of high demand and low supply. The potential revenue from this arbitrage must be balanced against the installation cost of storage facilities and efficiency losses. Many potential technologies exist to store usable electric energy, including [[pumped storage hydroelectricity]], air ballast, battery technologies, and even [[flywheel energy storage]].


=== Community ===
*'''Pumped storage: ''' [[Pumped storage hydroelectric]] systems have been implemented on a large scale for national grids, but were conceived and designed to cater for variability in electrical demand, not electrical supply. Their usefulness as an electrical storage system as a backup for variations in wind generation is extremely limited, and for many reasons. Firstly, these power storage systems are very expensive to build. Secondly, many countries have insufficient geographical locations that can house such systems, and those they do have are normally situated in environmentally protected regions. This is why the [[Dinorwig power station|Dinorwig]] pumped storage system in the UK proved so costly to build.<ref>[http://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~matti/ise2grp/energystorage_report/node6.html]</ref> Thirdly, wind power generation systems can go off-line for days at a time, and there is no power storage system in the world that can cope with that amount of energy storage. A large [[anticyclone]] will reduce [[anticyclone|wind]] speeds, and therefore reduce wind power generation to minimum levels across a wide region. For example, meteorological reports for Newport Rhode Island, a typical coastal site favoured for wind generation, show that in the month of September 2006 the wind rarely got above 4 kts (5 mph),<ref>[http://www.newportriweather.com/mwd/stats/sep/sepdtdwind.htm]</ref> whereas a typical wind generator requires at least 15 kts (8m/s or 18 mph) to start generating significant amounts of power.<ref>[http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wres/pwr.htm]</ref> Thus any proposed energy storage system would have to cope with wind generation systems being off-line for a number of days, or even weeks. It is unlikely that any electrical storage system can cope with that kind of variability in electrical supply. For instance, the [[Dinorwig power station|Dinorwig]] storage system can provide 5% of UK power generation (2.9 gw) for up to 5 hours before it runs out of water (total capacity of 14.5 [[Watt-hour|gwh]]). If the UK was entirely dependent on wind power, a wind outage lasting just two days would require 140 storage stations with the same generating capacity as Dinorwig to maintain normal power supplies (assuming average UK demand of 1,000 gwh/day).<ref>[http://www.cslforum.org/uk.htm]</ref>


{{See also|Community debate about wind farms}}
*'''Flow batteries: ''' This system of electrical storage, currently being piloted on wind farms, uses rechargeable [[flow battery|flow batteries]] as a rapid-response storage medium <ref>[http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/membersonly/oct05/features/rerere/rerere.html]</ref>. [[Vanadium redox battery|Vanadium redox flow batteries]] are currently installed at [[Huxley Hill Wind Farm, Tasmania|Huxley Hill wind farm]] ([[Australia]]), [[Tomari Wind Hills]] at [[Hokkaidō]] ([[Japan]]), as well as in other non-wind farm applications. A further 12 MWh flow battery is to be installed at the [[Sorne Hill wind farm]] ([[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]) <ref>[http://www.leonardo-energy.org/drupal/node/959]</ref>. These storage systems are designed to smooth out transient fluctuations in wind energy supply. The redox flow battery mentioned in the first article cited above has a capacity of 6 mwh, which represents just 12 minutes of full-capacity electrical flow from this particular wind farm (which has a 30 mw capacity). While useful for transient fluctuations, this is not a storage system that would be capable of dealing with a couple of windless days. A system that was capable of coping with such an outage, due to an anticyclonic pressure system and the resulting light winds, would be 240 times as large and prohibitively expensive.


[[File:Wind tubines cumbria.JPG|thumb|upright=2.05|Wind turbines such as these, in [[Cumbria]], England, have been opposed for a number of reasons, including aesthetics, by some sectors of the population.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/windfarms.htm |title=Wind Farms in Cumbria |access-date=3 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210060920/http://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/windfarms.htm |archive-date=10 December 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3661728.stm | title=Wind Turbulence over turbines in Cumbria | last=Arnold | first=James | work=BBC News | date=20 September 2004 | access-date=20 March 2012 | archive-date=17 May 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517122315/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3661728.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>]]
*'''Flywheel storage: ''' This potential solution has been implemented by EDA <ref>[http://www.eda.pt]</ref> in the [[Azores]] on the islands of [[Graciosa]] and [[Flores]]. This system uses a 18MWs flywheel to improve [[power quality]] and thus allow increased renewable energy usage. As the description suggests, these systems are again designed to smooth out transient fluctuations in supply, and could never be used to cope with an outage of couple of days or more. The largest [[flywheel energy storage]] systems available can hold up to 133 kwh of energy. But to put that into perspective, fifteen million of these flywheel systems would be required to power the UK for two days (assuming UK consumption of 2000 gwh over 48 hours).<ref>[http://www.cslforum.org/uk.htm]</ref>


Many wind power companies work with local communities to reduce environmental and other concerns associated with particular wind farms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48671 |title=Group Dedicates Opening of 200 MW Big Horn Wind Farm: Farm incorporates conservation efforts that protect wildlife habitat |publisher=Renewableenergyaccess.com |access-date=17 January 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012192322/http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=48671 |archive-date=12 October 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first=Jeanette | last=Fisher | date=2006 | url=http://environmentpsychology.com/wind_power_midamerican's_intrepid_wind_farm1.htm | title=Wind Power: MidAmerican's Intrepid Wind Farm | publisher=Environmentpsychology.com | access-date=20 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102223323/http://environmentpsychology.com/wind_power_midamerican%27s_intrepid_wind_farm1.htm | archive-date=2 November 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.agl.com.au/environment/sustainability/Pages/StakeholderEngagement.aspx | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721003610/http://www.agl.com.au/environment/sustainability/Pages/StakeholderEngagement.aspx |archive-date=21 July 2008 | title=Stakeholder Engagement | publisher=Agl.com.au | date=19 March 2008}}</ref>
*'''Hydrogen storage: ''' [[Hydrogen]] is also being developed as an electrical power storage medium. [[Hydrogen]] is created using [[electrolysis of water]] and then [[hydrogen storage|stored]] for later use with hydrogen based generating equipment. In July 2007 the government of [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] announced<ref>[http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2007/nr/0726n05.htm]</ref> a five year pilot programme for a [[Wind-Hydrogen Hybrid Power Systems|wind-hydrogen]] power system on the island of [[Ramea]], which will replace the existing [[Wind-Diesel Hybrid Power Systems|wind-diesel]] generating system. However, the energy losses involved in the [[hydrogen storage]] cycle; including production, liquification or compression, and conversion back to electricity, are vast. One report for Physorg science magazine<ref>[http://www.physorg.com/]</ref> indicates that the losses encountered with the hydrogen compression cycle are around 78%, while the hydrogen liquification cycle's losses are in the order of 81%.<ref>[http://www.physorg.com/news85074285.html]</ref> Those kind of losses, together with the infrastructure requirements and the safety systems that will be required for storing and handling that amount of elemental hydrogen, will ensure that hydrogen as an energy storage system will never be viable.
In other cases there is [[Community wind energy|direct community ownership of wind farm projects]]. Appropriate government consultation, planning and approval procedures also help to minimize environmental risks.<ref name="com">{{cite web |url=http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/press_releases/factsheet_environment2.pdf |publisher=Renewable Energy House |title=Wind Energy and the Environment |access-date=17 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228202639/http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/press_releases/factsheet_environment2.pdf |archive-date=28 February 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/renewable/publications/pubs/wind-discussionpaper.pdf |title=National Code for Wind Farms |publisher=Environment.gov.au |access-date=17 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905112322/http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/renewable/publications/pubs/wind-discussionpaper.pdf |archive-date=5 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=EC140p6a.pdf |title=New standard and big investment for wind energy |publisher=Publish.csiro.au |date=17 December 2007 |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-date=18 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918231046/http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=EC140p6a.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Some may still object to wind farms<ref name="wind-watch.org" /> but many say their concerns should be weighed against the need to address the threats posed by [[air pollution]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=Misinformation is derailing renewable energy projects across the United States |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1086790531/renewable-energy-projects-wind-energy-solar-energy-climate-change-misinformation |access-date=2022-09-27}}</ref><ref name=":9" /> [[climate change]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy |url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=Energy.gov |language=en}}</ref> and the opinions of the broader community.<ref>The Australia Institute (October 2006) [http://www.tai.org.au/documents/dp_fulltext/DP91.pdf Wind Farms: The facts and the fallacies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225091609/http://www.tai.org.au/documents/dp_fulltext/DP91.pdf |date=25 February 2012}} Discussion Paper No. 91, {{ISSN|1322-5421}}, p. 28.</ref>


In the US, wind power projects are reported to boost local tax bases, helping to pay for schools, roads, and hospitals, and to revitalize the economies of rural communities by providing steady income to farmers and other landowners.<ref name="nine" />
*'''Lithium batteries: ''' In 2006, several companies (Altairnano, A123 Systems, Electrovaya) announced [[lithium battery|lithium batties]] which could power future EVs ([[Electric Vehicle|Electric Vehicles]]) and PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles). A feature of these batteries is a high number of charge/discharge cycles per battery lifetime (Altairnano claim 15,000 cycles). By plugging thousands of cars to the grid when they are not in use (95% of the day on average), the electric car becomes an asset to the grid, rather than a drain only. Each participating vehicle would require electrical upload as well as download capability. It is possible, in theory, for 10 million EVs to hold the electrical requirements of the UK (assuming a 100 kwh battery for each EV). However, in practice, it is highly likely that the drivers of those vehicles would rather keep the energy in the vehicle for the next journey, rather than returning it to the grid.


In the UK, both the [[National Trust]] and the [[Campaign to Protect Rural England]] have expressed concerns about the effects on the rural landscape caused by inappropriately sited wind turbines and wind farms.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-17367028 "Wind farm to be built near a Northamptonshire heritage site"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926231807/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-17367028 |date=26 September 2018 }}, ''BBC News'', 14 March 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/cpre_calls_for_action_over_proliferation_of_wind_turbines_1_1363291 | title = CPRE calls for action over 'proliferation' of wind turbines | last = Hill | first = Chris | date = 30 April 2012 | website = EDP 24 | publisher = Archant community Media Ltd | access-date = 30 April 2012 | archive-date = 1 May 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120501102807/http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/cpre_calls_for_action_over_proliferation_of_wind_turbines_1_1363291 | url-status = live }}</ref>
*'''Storage as pressurized gas''' Cavern air storage is another method of storing off-peak electricity or wind energy, through the storage of compressed air in a large underground cavern. The system is actually a hybrid power generation system, as the stored compressed air is mixed with natural gas before being combusted in a conventional gas turbine engine (probably a modified aero engine). Two plants exist with this design at Huntorf in Germany and Mckintosh in Alabama, which both use off-peak energy for the air compression.<ref>[http://www.caes.net/mcintosh.html]</ref> A new plant, this time combined with a 75 - 150 mw wind farm for the air compression, is under consideration in Iowa.<ref>[http://www.isepa.com/FAQs.asp]</ref> Power output of the Mckintosh and Iowa gas/compressed air generation systems is given as 2-300 mw. The duration of the Mckintosh plant is 24 hours, with the extended operation (in comparison to pumped water storage) being achieved through the combined burning of a natural gas/compressed air mix.


[[File: Whitelee panorama.JPG|thumb|upright=2.05|right|A panoramic view of the United Kingdom's [[Whitelee Wind Farm]] with Lochgoin Reservoir in the foreground.]]
In summary, it is clear that none of these energy storage systems are capable of holding enough energy to cope with wind generation systems being off line for a day or so. But this means that wind power systems are potentially useless, for continuity of electrical supply is essential in a modern technological society. As the [[Northeast Blackout of 2003]] demonstrated, even a small power outage can result in a cascade of power outages across the country and absolute chaos, with most of the systems and services we rely on failing. This means that there will always have to be another generating system, be it fossil fuel or nuclear, standing by to take up the slack when the wind fails. And since these conventional generating systems are slow to respond to demand fluctuations, they are likely to be left running in 'spinning reserve'; all of which is a duplication of cost, infrastructure and fuel consumption. As the 'Renewable Energy in Scotland Inquiry' pointed out:
Some wind farms have become tourist attractions. The [[Whitelee Wind Farm]] Visitor Centre has an exhibition room, a learning hub, a café with a viewing deck and also a shop. It is run by the [[Glasgow Science Centre]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/visitor_centre |title = Whitelee Windfarm |website = Scottish Power Renewables |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120302104242/http://www.whiteleewindfarm.co.uk/visitor_centre |archive-date = 2 March 2012 |df = dmy-all}}</ref>


In Denmark, a loss-of-value scheme gives people the right to claim compensation for loss of value of their property if it is caused by proximity to a wind turbine. The loss must be at least 1% of the property's value.<ref name="Danish-loss-of-value-scheme">{{cite book | url=http://www.ens.dk/sites/ens.dk/files/supply/renewable-energy/wind-power/Vindturbines%20in%20DK%20eng.pdf | title=Wind Turbines in Denmark | publisher=section 6.8, p. 22, Danish Energy Agency | date=November 2009 | isbn=978-87-7844-821-7 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023055825/http://www.ens.dk/sites/ens.dk/files/supply/renewable-energy/wind-power/Vindturbines%20in%20DK%20eng.pdf | archive-date=23 October 2013 | df=dmy-all}}</ref>
<blockquote>When a wind power station is connected to the grid a similar conventional capacity must be maintained as spinning reserve to cover the uncontrolled intermittency. The presence of an increasing number of distributed intermittent and unreliable micro-generators to replace more secure forms of generation leads to grid instability.<ref>[http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/enterprise/inquiries/rei/ec04-reis-tubb,mrallanj.htm]</ref>
</blockquote>


Despite this general support for the concept of wind power in the public at large, [[Environmental effects of wind power|local opposition]] often exists and has delayed or aborted a number of projects.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.88117!/file/Understanding-wind-farm-opposition---Dr-Chris-Jones-PDF-674K-.pdf | title=Understanding 'local' opposition to wind development in the UK How big is a backyard? | doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2010.01.051 | year=2010 | last1=Jones | first1=Christopher R. | last2=Richard Eiser | first2=J. | journal=Energy Policy | volume=38 | issue=6 | page=3106 | bibcode=2010EnPol..38.3106J | access-date=14 January 2013 | archive-date=24 January 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124105605/http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.88117!/file/Understanding-wind-farm-opposition---Dr-Chris-Jones-PDF-674K-.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.wind-works.org/articles/tilting.html Tilting at Windmills: Public Opinion Toward Wind Energy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118101946/http://www.wind-works.org/articles/tilting.html |date=18 January 2013 }}. Wind-works.org. Retrieved on 1 October 2013.</ref><ref>Yates, Ysabel (15 October 2012) [http://www.ecomagination.com/testing-the-waters-gaining-public-support-for-offshore-wind Testing the Waters: Gaining Public Support for Offshore Wind] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119023610/http://www.ecomagination.com/testing-the-waters-gaining-public-support-for-offshore-wind |date=19 January 2013 }}. ecomagination.com</ref>
==Predictability==
As well as concerns about the landscape, there are concerns that some installations can produce excessive sound and vibration levels leading to a decrease in property values.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rivercitymalone.com/wind-energy/town-councilor-regrets-wind-farm-high-sheldon-windfarm-ny/ |title=Town Councilor regrets High Sheldon Wind Farm (Sheldon, NY) |author1=Cramer, Glenn |date=30 October 2009 |access-date=4 September 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924154038/http://rivercitymalone.com/wind-energy/town-councilor-regrets-wind-farm-high-sheldon-windfarm-ny/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A study of 50,000 home sales near wind turbines found no statistical evidence that prices were affected.<ref>Ben Hoen, Jason P. Brown, Thomas Jackson, Ryan Wiser, Mark Thayer and Peter Cappers. "[http://www.nwea.nl/sites/default/files/WOZ%20-%20Spatial%20hedonic%20analysis%20on%20surrounding%20property%20values%20%28Berkely%202013%29.pdf A Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values in the United States] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033323/http://www.nwea.nl/sites/default/files/WOZ%20-%20Spatial%20hedonic%20analysis%20on%20surrounding%20property%20values%20%28Berkely%202013%29.pdf |date=17 November 2015 }}" p. 37. ''[[Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]]'', August 2013. [http://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-6362e.pdf Mirror] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118004839/https://emp.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/lbnl-6362e.pdf |date=18 November 2015 }}</ref>
{{main|Wind Power Forecasting}}


While aesthetic issues are subjective and some find wind farms pleasant and optimistic, or symbols of [[energy security|energy independence]] and local prosperity, protest groups are often formed to attempt to block some wind power stations for various reasons.<ref name="wind-watch.org">{{cite web | url=http://www.wind-watch.org/affiliates.php | title=Wind Energy Opposition and Action Groups | publisher=Wind-watch.org | access-date=11 January 2013 | archive-date=5 May 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505130436/http://www.wind-watch.org/affiliates.php | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="guardian.co.uk">Gourlay, Simon (12 August 2008) [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/12/windpower.alternativeenergy Wind Farms Are Not Only Beautiful, They're Absolutely Necessary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005070554/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/12/windpower.alternativeenergy |date=5 October 2013 }}, ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref name="guardianQA">Aldred, Jessica (10 December 2007) [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/dec/10/windpower.renewableenergy Q&A: Wind Power] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313235603/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/dec/10/windpower.renewableenergy |date=13 March 2016 }}, ''The Guardian''.</ref>
Related to, but essentially different from variability, is the short-term (hourly or daily) predictability of wind plant output. Like other electricity sources, wind energy must be "scheduled" - this presents a challenge because the nature of this energy source makes it inherently variable over time. To overcome this problem, wind power forecasting methods are employed by utilities or system operators. Despite the use of forecasting, the predictability of wind plant output remains low for a variety of reasons.


Some opposition to wind farms is dismissed as [[NIMBY]]ism,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thestar.com/comment/article/519708 | work=Toronto Star | location=Toronto | title=Windmills vs. NIMBYism | date=20 October 2008 | access-date=18 September 2017 | archive-date=11 October 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011113357/http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/519708 | url-status=live }}</ref> but research carried out in 2009 found that there is little evidence to support the belief that residents only object to wind farms because of a "Not in my Back Yard" attitude.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1807322/wind-industry-avoid-branding-opponents-nimbys | title=Wind industry should avoid branding opponents "Nimbys" | last=Donoghue | first=Andrew | date=30 July 2009 | website=Business Green | access-date=13 April 2012 | archive-date=2 January 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102085646/http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1807322/wind-industry-avoid-branding-opponents-nimbys | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Ecology and pollution==
====CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and pollution====
<blockquote>It is sometimes said that wind energy, for example, does not reduce carbon dioxide emissions because the
intermittent nature of its output means it needs to be backed up by fossil fuel plants. Wind turbines do
not displace fossil generating capacity on a one-for-one basis. But it is unambiguously the case that wind
energy can displace fossil fuel-based generation, reducing both fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions.<ref>http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,550/ The Costs and Impacts of Intermittency, UK Energy Research Council, March 2006]</ref></blockquote>
Wind power consumes no fuel for continuing operation, and has no emissions directly related to electricity production. Wind power stations, however, consume resources in manufacturing and construction, as do most other power production facilities. Wind power may also have an indirect effect on pollution at other production facilities, due to the need for reserve and regulation, and may affect the efficiency profile of plants used to balance demand and supply, particularly if those facilities use fossil fuel sources. Compared to other power sources, however, wind energy's direct emissions are low, and the materials used in construction (concrete, steel, fiberglass, generation components) and transportation are straightforward. Wind power's ability to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions will depend on the amount of wind energy produced, and hence scalability, as well as the profile of other generating capacity.


=== Geopolitics ===
*A study by the Irish national grid stated clearly that "Producing electricity from wind reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and therefore leads to emissions savings", and found reductions in CO2 emissions ranging from 0.59 tonnes of CO2 per MWh to 0.33 tonnes per MWh.<ref>http://www.eirgrid.com/EirGridPortal/uploads/Publications/Wind%20Impact%20Study%20-%20main%20report.pdf ESB National Grid, "Impact of Wind Generation in Ireland on the Operation of Conventional Plant and the Economic Implications", 2004</ref>
Wind cannot be cut off unlike oil and gas so can contribute to [[energy security]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-09 |title=Why onshore wind, not fracking, offers Boris Johnson a better weapon against Vladimir Putin |url=https://inews.co.uk/opinion/fracking-onshore-wind-boris-johnson-uk-weapon-against-vladimir-putin-1506705 |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
*Wind power is a [[renewable resource]], which means using it will not deplete the earth's supply of [[fossil fuel]]s. It also is a [[clean energy]] source, and operation does not produce [[carbon dioxide]], [[sulfur dioxide]], [[Mercury (element)|mercury]], [[particulate]]s, or any other type of [[air pollution]], as do conventional fossil fuel power sources.
* Electric power production is only part (about 39% in the USA<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Energy Information Administration| url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/contents.html| title=Annual Energy Review 2004 Report No. DOE/EIA-0384(2004)| year=[[August 15]] [[2005]]| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref>) of a country's energy use, so wind power's ability to mitigate the negative effects of energy use — as with any other clean source of electricity — is limited (except with a potential transition to electric or hydrogen vehicles). Wind power contributed less than 1% of the UK's national electricity supply<ref name="BWEA"> </ref> in 2004 and hence had negligible effects on CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, which continued to rise in 2002 and 2003 (Department of Trade and Industry); the growth of installed wind capacity in the UK has been impressive (installed wind capacity doubled from 2002 to 2004, and again from end-2004 to mid-2006), but from low levels. Until wind energy achieves substantially greater scale worldwide, its ability to contribute will be limited.
* Groups such as the [[UN]]'s [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] cite wind power as a key mitigation technology available today to reduce carbon emissions in the energy supply .<ref>url=http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM040507.pdf </ref> Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 Assessment Report
* During manufacture of the wind turbine, [[steel]], [[concrete]], [[aluminum]] and other materials will have to be made and transported using energy-intensive processes, generally using fossil energy sources.
*The [[EROEI|energy return on investment]] ([[EROI]]) for wind energy is equal to the cumulative electricity generated divided by the cumulative primary energy required to build and maintain a turbine. The EROI for wind ranges from 5 to 35, with an average of around 18. This places wind energy in a favorable position relative to conventional power generation technologies in terms of EROI. Baseload coal-fired power generation has an EROI between 5 and 10:1. Nuclear power is probably no greater than 5:1, although there is considerable debate regarding how to calculate its EROI. The EROI for hydropower probably exceeds 10, but in most places in the world the most favorable sites have been developed.<ref>http://www.eoearth.org/article/Energy_return_on_investment_EROI_for_wind_energy</ref>
* [[Net energy gain]] for wind turbines has been estimated in one report to be between 17 and 39 (i.e. over its life-time a wind turbine produces 17-39 times as much energy as is needed for its manufacture, construction, operation and decommissioning). A similar Danish study determined the payback ratio to be 80, which means that a wind turbine system pays back the energy invested within approximately 3 months.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/env/enpaybk.htm| title=Danish Wind Industry Association| year=December 1997| publisher=Danis Wind Turbine Manufacturer's Association| accessdate=2006-05-12}}</ref> This is to be compared with payback ratios of 11 for coal power plants and 16 for nuclear power plants, though such figures do not take into account the energy content of the fuel itself, which would lead to a negative energy gain.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://72.36.212.11/prod/180-1.pdf| title=Net Energy Payback and CO2 Emissions from Wind-Generated Electricity in the Midwest| year=December 1998| publisher=S.W.White & G.L.Klucinski — Fusion Technology Institute University of Wisconsin| accessdate=2006-05-12}}</ref>
* The ecological and environmental costs of wind plants are paid by those using the power produced, with no long-term effects on climate or local environment left for future generations.


== Turbine design ==
====Ecology====
{{main|Wind turbine|Wind turbine design}}
* Because it uses energy already present in the atmosphere, and can displace fossil-fuel generated electricity (with its accompanying carbon dioxide emissions), wind power [[mitigation of global warming|mitigates global warming]]. While wind turbines might kill some bird and bat species, conventionally fueled power plants also have the potential to affect other species through climate changes, acid rain, and pollution.
{{see also|Wind-turbine aerodynamics}}
* Unlike fossil fuel and nuclear power stations, which circulate or evaporate large amounts of water for cooling, wind turbines do not need water to generate electricity.
{{stack|float=right|
[[File:Wind turbine int.svg|thumb| Typical wind turbine components: {{ordered list
|1=[[Wind turbine design#Foundations|Foundation]]
|2=[[Wind turbine design#Connection to the electric grid|Connection to the electric grid]]
|3=[[Wind turbine design#Tower|Tower]]
|4=Access ladder
|5=[[Wind turbine design#Yawing|Wind orientation control (yaw control)]]
|6=[[Nacelle (wind turbine)|Nacelle]]
|7=[[Wind turbine design#Generator|Generator]]
|8=[[Anemometer]]
|9=[[Wind turbine design#Electrical braking|Electric]] or [[Wind turbine design#Mechanical braking|mechanical brake]]
|10=[[Gearbox]]
|11=[[Wind turbine design#Blades|Rotor blade]]
|12=[[Wind turbine design#Pitch control|Blade pitch control]]
|13=[[Wind turbine design#The hub|Rotor hub]]
}}]]
|[[File: Scout moor gearbox, rotor shaft and brake assembly.jpg|thumb|right|Typical components of a wind turbine (gearbox, rotor shaft and brake assembly) being lifted into position]]}}


[[Wind turbine]]s are devices that convert the wind's [[kinetic energy]] into electrical power. The result of over a millennium of windmill development and modern engineering, today's wind turbines are manufactured in a wide range of horizontal axis and vertical axis types. The smallest turbines are used for applications such as [[Battery charger|battery charging]] for auxiliary power. Slightly larger turbines can be used for making small contributions to a domestic power supply while selling unused power back to the utility supplier via the electrical grid. Arrays of large turbines, known as wind farms, have become an increasingly important source of renewable energy and are used in many countries as part of a strategy to reduce their reliance on [[fossil fuels]].
====Ecological footprint====
Large-scale onshore and near-shore wind energy facilities ([[wind farms]]) can be controversial due to aesthetic reasons and impact on the local environment. Large-scale offshore wind farms are not visible from land and according to a comprehensive 8-year Danish Offshore Wind study on "Key Environmental Issues" have no discernible effect on aquatic species and no effect on migratory bird patterns or mortality rates. Modern wind farms make use of large towers with impressive blade spans, occupy large areas and may be considered unsightly at onshore and near-shore locations. They usually do not, however, interfere significantly with other uses, such as farming. The impact of onshore and near-shore wind farms on wildlife&mdash;particularly migratory birds and bats&mdash;is hotly debated, and studies with contradictory conclusions have been published. Two preliminary conclusions for onshore and near-shore wind developments seem to be supported: first, the impact on wildlife is likely low compared to other forms of human and industrial activity; second, negative impacts on certain populations of sensitive species are possible, and efforts to mitigate these effects should be considered in the planning phase.
According to recent estimates published in [[Nature]], each wind turbine kills on average 0.03 birds per year, or one kill per thirty turbines <ref>http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v447/n7141/full/447126a.html</ref>. However, the birds that are killed may on average be larger, so their populations affected more strongly by individual deaths.
Aesthetic issues are important for onshore and near-shore locations in that the "visible footprint" may be extremely large compared to other sources of industrial power (which may be sited in industrially developed areas), and wind farms may be close to scenic or otherwise undeveloped areas. Offshore wind development locations remove the visual aesthetic issue by being at least 10 km from shore and in many cases much further away.


Wind turbine design is the process of defining the form and specifications of a wind turbine to extract energy from the wind.<ref>{{cite web | publisher =UK Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform | title =Efficiency and performance |url=http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file17821.pdf | access-date =29 December 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090205054846/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file17821.pdf | archive-date =5 February 2009}}</ref>
[[Image:Greenpark wind turbine arp.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A wind turbine at [[Green Park, Berkshire|Greenpark]], [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], [[England]]]]
A wind turbine installation consists of the necessary systems needed to capture the wind's energy, point the turbine into the wind, convert [[mechanical energy|mechanical rotation]] into [[electrical power]], and other systems to start, stop, and control the turbine.


In 1919, the German physicist [[Albert Betz]] showed that for a hypothetical ideal wind-energy extraction machine, the fundamental laws of conservation of mass and energy allowed no more than 16/27 (59%) of the kinetic energy of the wind to be captured. This [[Betz' law|Betz limit]] can be approached in modern turbine designs, which may reach 70 to 80% of the theoretical Betz limit.<ref>[[Albert Betz|Betz, A.]]; Randall, D. G. (trans.). ''Introduction to the Theory of Flow Machines'', Oxford: [[Pergamon Press]], 1966.</ref><ref>Burton, Tony, et al., (ed). [https://books.google.com/books?id=qVjtDxyN-joC ''Wind Energy Handbook''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105145500/https://books.google.com/books?id=qVjtDxyN-joC |date=5 January 2016 }}, [[John Wiley and Sons]], 2001, {{ISBN|0-471-48997-2}}, p. 65.</ref>
====Land use====
* Clearing of wooded areas is often unnecessary, as the practice of farmers leasing their land out to companies building wind farms is common. In the U.S., farmers may receive annual lease payments of two thousand to five thousand dollars per turbine.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04756.pdf| format=PDF| accessdate=2006-04-21| publisher=United States Government Accountability Office| year=September 2004| title=RENEWABLE ENERGY — Wind Power’s Contribution to Electric Power Generation and Impact on Farms and Rural Communities (GAO-04-756)}}</ref> The land can still be used for farming and cattle grazing. Less than 1% of the land would be used for foundations and access roads, the other 99% could still be used for farming.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bwea.com/ref/faq.html| title=Wind energy Frequently Asked Questions| publisher=British Wind Energy Association| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> Turbines can be sited on unused land in techniques such as [[center pivot irrigation]].
* The clearing of trees around onshore and near-shore tower bases may be necessary to enable installation. This is an issue for potential sites on mountain ridges, such as in the northeastern U.S.<ref>[http://www.wind-watch.org/pix/displayimage.php?pid=26&fullsize=1 Forest clearance for Meyersdale, Pa., wind power facility]</ref>
* Wind turbines should ideally be placed about ten times their diameter apart in the direction of prevailing winds and five times their diameter apart in the perpendicular direction for minimal losses due to wind park effects. As a result, wind turbines require roughly 0.1 square kilometres of unobstructed land per megawatt of nameplate capacity. A 2 GW wind farm, which might produce as much energy each year as a 1 GW [[baseload power plant]], might have turbines spread out over an area of approximately 200&nbsp;square kilometres.
*Areas under onshore and near-shore windfarms can be used for farming, and are protected from further development.
* Although there have been installations of wind turbines in urban areas (such as [http://www.windshare.ca/explace/the_wind_turbine.html Toronto's exhibition place]), these are generally not used. Buildings may interfere with wind, and the value of land is likely too high if it would interfere with other uses to make urban installations viable. Installations near major cities on unused land, particularly offshore for cities near large bodies of water, may be of more interest. Despite these issues, Toronto's demonstration project demonstrates that there are no major issues that would prevent such installations where practical, although non-urban locations are expected to predominate.
* Offshore locations, such as that being developed on a large underwater plateau in eastern Lake Ontario by Trillium Power use no land ''per se'' and avoid known shipping channels. Some offshore locations are uniquely located close to ample transmission and high load centres however that is not the norm for most offshore locations. Most offshore locations are at considerable distances from load centres and may face transmission and line loss challenges.
* Wind turbines located in agricultural areas may create concerns by operators of [[Aerial application|cropdusting]] aircraft. Operating rules may prohibit approach of aircraft within a stated distance of the turbine towers; turbine operators may agree to curtail operations of turbines during cropdusting operations.


The [[Wind turbine aerodynamics|aerodynamics of a wind turbine]] are not straightforward. The airflow at the blades is not the same as the airflow far away from the turbine. The very nature of how energy is extracted from the air also causes air to be deflected by the turbine. This affects the objects or other turbines downstream, which is known as "[[Wake (physics)|wake]] effect". Also, the aerodynamics of a wind turbine at the rotor surface exhibit phenomena that are rarely seen in other aerodynamic fields. The shape and dimensions of the blades of the wind turbine are determined by the aerodynamic performance required to efficiently extract energy from the wind, and by the strength required to resist the forces on the blade.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/what-factors-affect-the-output-of-wind-turbines/ | title=What factors affect the output of wind turbines? | publisher=Alternative-energy-news.info | date=24 July 2009 | access-date=6 November 2013 | archive-date=29 September 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929021418/http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/what-factors-affect-the-output-of-wind-turbines/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
====Impact on wildlife====
* Onshore and near-shore studies show that the number of birds killed by wind turbines is negligible compared to the number that die as a result of other human activities such as [[traffic]], [[hunting]], [[electric power transmission|power line]]s and [[high-rise building]]s and especially the environmental impacts of using [[fossil fuels|non-clean power sources]]. For example, in the UK, where there are several hundred turbines, about one bird is killed per turbine per year; 10&nbsp;million per year are killed by cars alone.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bwea.org/media/news/birds.html| title=Birds| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> In the United States, onshore and near-shore turbines kill 70,000&nbsp;birds per year, compared to 57&nbsp;million killed by cars and 97.5&nbsp;million killed by collisions with plate glass.<ref>{{cite book|last = Lomborg|first = Bjørn|authorlink = Bjørn Lomborg|year = 2001|title = [[The Skeptical Environmentalist]]|publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]|location = [[New York City]]}}</ref> Another study suggests that migrating birds adapt to obstacles; those birds which don't modify their route and continue to fly through a wind farm are capable of avoiding the large offshore windmills,<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg18625045.500| title=Wind turbines a breeze for migrating birds| journal=New Scientist| issue=2504| month=18 June| year=2005| pages=21| accessdate=2006-04-21}}</ref> at least in the low-wind non-twilight conditions studied. In the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ([[RSPB]]) concluded that "The available evidence suggests that appropriately positioned wind farms do not pose a significant hazard for birds."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/policy/windfarms/index.asp| title=Wind farms| publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds| accessdate=2006-04-21| year=[[14 September]] [[2005]]}}</ref> It notes that climate change poses a much more significant threat to wildlife, and therefore supports [[wind farms]] and other forms of [[renewable energy]].
* Some onshore and near-shore windmills kill birds, especially [[birds of prey]].<ref>[http://www.iberica2000.org/Es/Articulo.asp?Id=1228 The negative effects of windfarms on birds and other wildlife: articles by Mark Duchamp]</ref> More recent siting generally takes into account known bird flight patterns, but some paths of [[bird migration]], particularly for birds that fly by night, are unknown although a 2006 Danish Offshore Wind study showed that radio tagged migrating birds traveled around offshore wind farms. A Danish survey in 2005 ([[Biology Letters]] 2005:336) showed that less than 1% of migrating birds passing an offshore wind farm in Rønde, Denmark, got close to collision, though the site was studied only during low-wind non-twilight conditions. A survey at Altamont Pass, California, conducted by a California Energy Commission in 2004 showed that onshore turbines killed between 1,766 and 4,721<ref>[http://www.energy.ca.gov/pier/final_project_reports/500-04-052.html Developing Methods to Reduce Bird Mortality In the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area]</ref> birds annually (881 to 1,300 of which were birds of prey). Radar studies of proposed onshore and near-shore sites in the eastern U.S. have shown that migrating songbirds fly well within the reach of large modern turbine blades. In Australia, a proposed onshore/near-shore wind farm was canceled before production because of the possibility that a single [[endangered]] bird of prey was nesting in the area.
* An onshore/near-shore wind farm in Norway's Smøla islands is reported to have destroyed a colony of sea eagles, according to the British Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.{{Fact|October 2007|date=October 2007}} The society said turbine blades killed nine of the birds in a 10&nbsp;month period, including all three of the chicks that fledged that year. Norway is regarded as the most important place for [[white-tailed eagle]]s.
* The numbers of [[bat]]s killed by existing onshore and near-shore facilities has troubled even industry personnel.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://vawind.org/Assets/Docs/BCI_ridgetop_advisory.pdf| publisher=Bat Conservation International| title=Caution Regarding Placement of Wind Turbines on Wooded Ridge Tops| year=[[4 January]] [[2005]]| accessdate=2006-04-21| format=PDF}}</ref> A study in 2004 estimated that over 2200&nbsp;bats were killed by 63 onshore turbines in just six weeks at two sites in the eastern U.S.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://batcon.org/wind/BWEC2004finalreport.pdf| publisher=Bat Conservation International| title=Relationships between Bats and Wind Turbines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia: An Assessment of Fatality Search Protocols, Patterns of Fatality, and Behavioral Interactions with Wind Turbines| format=PDF| accessdate=2006-04-21| year=June 2005| first=Edward B.| last=Arnett| coauthors=Wallace P. Erickson, Jessica Kerns, Jason Horn}}</ref> This study suggests some onshore and near-shore sites may be particularly hazardous to local bat populations and more research is urgently needed. Migratory bat species appear to be particularly at risk, especially during key movement periods (spring and more importantly in fall). Lasiurines such as the [[hoary bat]] (Lasiurus cinereus), [[red bat]] (Lasiurus borealis), and the semi-migratory [[silver-haired bat]]s (Lasionycteris noctivagans) appear to be most vulnerable at North American sites. Almost nothing is known about current populations of these species and the impact on bat numbers as a result of mortality at windpower locations. Offshore wind sites 10 km or more from shore do not interact with bat populations.


In addition to the aerodynamic design of the blades, the design of a complete wind power system must also address the design of the installation's rotor hub, [[Nacelle (wind turbine)|nacelle]], tower structure, generator, controls, and foundation.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Zehnder, Alan T. |author2=Warhaft, Zellman |name-list-style=amp |title=University Collaboration on Wind Energy |date=27 July 2011 |url=http://www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu/attachments/2011-UnivWindCollaboration.pdf |publisher=Cornell University [[Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future]] |access-date=22 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901005908/http://www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu/attachments/2011-UnivWindCollaboration.pdf |archive-date=1 September 2011 }}</ref>
====Offshore and Ocean Noise====
As the number of offshore wind farms increase and move further into deeper water, the question arises if the ocean noise that is generated due to mechanical motion of the turbines and other vibrations which can be transmitted via the tower structure to the sea, will become significant enough to harm sea mammals. Tests carried out in Denmark for shallow installations showed the levels were only significant up to a few hundred metres. However, sound injected into deeper water will travel much further and will be more likely to impact bigger creatures like whales which tend to use lower frequencies than porpoises and seals. A recent study found that wind farms add 80-110 dB to the existing low-frequency ambient noise (under 400&nbsp;Hz) and this could impact baleen whales communication and stress levels, and possibly prey distribution. [http://www.acousticecology.org/spotlight_oceannoise2006.html]


== History ==
====Safety and aesthetics====
{{Main|History of wind power}}
On the issue of safety, the British Wind Energy Association has said:
[[File: Wind turbine 1888 Charles Brush.jpg|thumb|[[Charles F. Brush]]'s windmill of 1888, used for generating electric power.]]{{See also|Renewable energy commercialization#Wind_power}}
:"...wind energy is one of the safest energy technologies, and enjoys an outstanding health & safety record. In over 20 years of operating experience and with more than 50,000 machines installed around the world, no member of the public has ever been harmed by operating wind turbines. High standards exist for the design and operation of wind energy projects as well as close industry co-operation with the certification and regulatory bodies in those countries where wind energy is deployed."<ref>[http://www.bwea.com/pdf/briefings/benefits.pdf Benefits of Wind Energy]</ref>
Wind power has been used as long as humans have put [[sailing ships|sails]] into the wind. Wind-powered machines used to grind grain and pump water, the [[windmill]] and [[wind pump]], were developed in what is now [[Iran]], [[Afghanistan]], and [[Pakistan]] by the 9th century.<ref>[[Ahmad Y Hassan]], [[Donald Routledge Hill]] (1986). ''Islamic Technology: An illustrated history'', p. 54. [[Cambridge University Press]]. {{ISBN|0-521-42239-6}}.</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Lucas|first=Adam|title=Wind, Water, Work: Ancient and Medieval Milling Technology|page=65|year=2006|publisher=Brill Publishers|isbn=90-04-14649-0}}</ref> Wind power was widely available and not confined to the banks of fast-flowing streams, or later, requiring sources of fuel. Wind-powered pumps drained the [[Polder#Polders and the Netherlands|polders of the Netherlands]], and in arid regions such as the [[American mid-west]] or the [[Australian outback]], wind pumps provided water for livestock and steam engines.
There have been a number of fatalities from accidents involving wind turbines. Most involve falls or workers becoming caught in machinery while performing maintenance inside turbine housings while blade failures and falling ice have also accounted for a number of deaths. Notable public fatalities have resulted from distracted motorists seeing wind turbines along highways. <ref>[http://www.stopillwind.org/downloads/WindTurbineAccidentComp.pdf Wind turbine accident compilation], Caithness Windfarms Information Forum</ref>


The first windmill used for the production of electric power was built in [[Scotland]] in July 1887 by [[Prof James Blyth]] of [[Anderson's College]], Glasgow (the precursor of [[Strathclyde University]]).<ref name="Price">{{Cite journal|last=Price|first=Trevor J|date=3 May 2005|title=James Blyth – Britain's First Modern Wind Power Engineer|journal=Wind Engineering|volume=29|issue=3|pages=191–200|doi=10.1260/030952405774354921|s2cid=110409210}}</ref> Blyth's {{convert|10|m|ft}} high cloth-sailed wind turbine was installed in the garden of his holiday cottage at [[Marykirk]] in [[Kincardineshire]], and was used to charge [[accumulator (energy)|accumulators]] developed by the Frenchman [[Camille Alphonse Faure]], to power the lighting in the cottage,<ref name="Price" /> thus making it the first house in the world to have its electric power supplied by wind power.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shackleton|first=Jonathan|title=World First for Scotland Gives Engineering Student a History Lesson|url=http://www.rgu.ac.uk/pressrel/BlythProject.doc|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217063550/http://www.rgu.ac.uk/pressrel/BlythProject.doc|archive-date=17 December 2008|access-date=20 November 2008|publisher=The Robert Gordon University}}</ref> Blyth offered the surplus electric power to the people of Marykirk for lighting the main street, however, they turned down the offer as they thought electric power was "the work of the devil."<ref name="Price" /> Although he later built a wind turbine to supply emergency power to the local Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary, and Dispensary of [[Montrose, Angus|Montrose]], the invention never really caught on as the technology was not considered to be economically viable.<ref name="Price" />
Notable negative aesthetic effects of wind turbines include:
* Recorded experience that onshore and near-shore wind turbines are noisy and visually intrusive creates resistance to the establishment of land-based wind farms in many places. Moving the turbines far offshore (10 km or more) mitigates the problem, but offshore wind farms may be more expensive and transmission to on-shore locations may present challenges in many but not all cases.
* Some residents near onshore and near-shore windmills complain of "shadow flicker", which is the alternating pattern of sun and shade caused by a rotating windmill casting a shadow over residences. Efforts are made when siting onshore and near-shore turbines to avoid this problem.
* Large onshore and near-shore wind towers require [[aircraft warning lights]], which create [[light pollution]] at night, which bothers humans and [[Light pollution#Disruption of ecosystems|can disrupt the local ecosystem]]. Complaints about these lights have caused the [[FAA]] to consider allowing a less than 1:1 [[ratio]] of lights per turbine in certain areas.[http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/20/news/story06.html]


Across the Atlantic, in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], a larger and heavily engineered machine was designed and constructed in the winter of 1887–1888 by [[Charles F. Brush]].<ref>Anon. [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mr-brushs-windmill-dynamo/ Mr. Brush's Windmill Dynamo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707215932/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mr-brushs-windmill-dynamo/ |date=7 July 2017 }}, ''[[Scientific American]]'', Vol. 63 No. 25, 20 December 1890, p. 54.</ref> This was built by his engineering company at his home and operated from 1886 until 1900.<ref>[http://www.windpower.org/en/pictures/brush.htm A Wind Energy Pioneer: Charles F. Brush] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908061207/http://www.windpower.org/en/pictures/brush.htm|date=8 September 2008}}, Danish Wind Industry Association. Accessed 2 May 2007.</ref> The Brush wind turbine had a rotor {{convert|17|m|ft}} in diameter and was mounted on an {{convert|18|m|ft}} tower. Although large by today's standards, the machine was only rated at 12&nbsp;kW. The connected dynamo was used either to charge a bank of batteries or to operate up to 100 [[incandescent light bulb]]s, three arc lamps, and various motors in Brush's laboratory.<ref>"History of Wind Energy" in Cutler J. Cleveland (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of Energy''. Vol. 6, Elsevier, {{ISBN|978-1-60119-433-6}}, 2007, pp. 421–22</ref>
[[Image:Campo de Criptana Molinos de Viento 1.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Windmill]]s at [[La Mancha]], [[Spain]].]]
With the development of electric power, wind power found new applications in lighting buildings remote from centrally generated power. Throughout the 20th century parallel paths developed small wind stations suitable for farms or residences.
From 1932 many isolated properties in [[Australia]] ran their lighting and electric fans from batteries, charged by a "Freelite" wind-driven generator, producing 100{{nbsp}}watts of electrical power from as little wind speed as {{convert|10|mph}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37240794 |title="Freelite" |newspaper=[[The Longreach Leader]] |volume=11 |issue=561 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=16 December 1933 |accessdate=26 March 2023 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>


The [[1973 oil crisis]] triggered the investigation in Denmark and the United States that led to larger utility-scale wind generators that could be connected to electric power grids for remote use of power. By 2008, the U.S. installed capacity had reached 25.4 gigawatts, and by 2012 the installed capacity was 60 gigawatts.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of U.S. Wind Energy|url=https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/history-us-wind-energy|access-date=10 December 2019|website=Energy.gov|language=en|archive-date=15 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215133631/https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/history-us-wind-energy|url-status=live}}</ref> Today, wind-powered generators operate in every size range between tiny stations for battery charging at isolated residences, up to gigawatt-sized [[List of offshore wind farms|offshore wind farms]] that provide electric power to national electrical networks. The [[European Union]] is working to augment these prospects.<ref>{{cite news |last= Widder |first= Jonathan |date= 25 October 2023|title= Saubere Energie unaufhaltsam, EU beschleunigt Windkraft-Ausbau, Luchse zurück nach Sachsen|url= https://squirrel-news.net/de/news/saubere-energie-unaufhaltsam-eu-beschleunigt-windkraft-ausbau-luchse-zurueck-nach-sachsen/|work= Squirrel News|access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref>
These effects may be countered by changes in wind farm design:
* Improvements in blade design and gearing have quietened modern turbines to the point where a normal conversation can be held underneath one. In December 2006, a jury in Texas denied a suit for private nuisance against FPL Energy for noise pollution after the company demonstrated that noise readings were not excessive, with the highest reading reaching 44 decibels, which was characterized as approximately the same noise level as a wind of 10 miles per hour.[http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/509] The suit was initially for visual intrusion,[http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/abilene-texas-lawsuit/] but that was disallowed, so it concentrated on noise, which with the large spreads involved, was bound to fail). Texas civil case law requires proof of personal injury in a suit against a neighbor's activities (Klein v. Gehrung, 25 Tex. Supp. 232), so even if the plaintiffs had presented data showing more substantial noise, they would not have prevailed unless they could prove injury.
[[Image:Magrath-Wind-Farm-Szmurlo.jpg|thumb|220px| [[Wind turbine]]s at Magrath, [[Alberta]], [[Canada]].]]
* Newer wind farms have more widely spaced turbines due to the greater power of the individual wind turbines, and to look less cluttered.
* The aesthetics of onshore and near-shore wind turbines have been compared favorably to those of pylons from conventional power stations.
* Offshore sites have on average a considerably higher energy yield than onshore sites, and generally cannot be seen from the shore even on the clearest of days.


In 2023, the global wind power sector experienced significant growth, with 116.6 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity added to the power grid, representing a 50% increase over the amount added in 2022. This surge in capacity brought the total installed wind power capacity worldwide to 1,021 GW by the end of the year, marking a growth of 13% compared to the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alex |date=2024-04-15 |title=Global Wind Report 2024 |url=https://gwec.net/global-wind-report-2024/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Global Wind Energy Council |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Rp|page=138}}
==Hurricanes==
{{main|Hurricane}}
The theoretical wind energy from a hurricane is about one half the total world electrical generating capacity. <ref>[http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/D7.html FAQ Hurricanes NOAA]</ref>


==See also==
== See also ==
{{commons}}
=== Power generation ===
*[[Energy development]]
*[[Fossil fuel power plant|Fossil fuel power]] and [[petro-free]]
*[[Hydropower]]
*[[Wind-Diesel Hybrid Power Systems|Wind-Diesel]]
*[[Nuclear Power]]
*[[Solar power]]
*[[Solar updraft tower]]
*[[Steam engine]]
*[[List of wind turbine manufacturers]]
*[[World energy resources and consumption]]
*The [[Windbelt]], a non-turbine approach to tapping wind power


{{stack|float=right|{{Portal|Wind power|Renewable energy|Energy}}}}
=== Green energy ===
{{Div col}}
* [[Green energy]]
* [[Green tax shift]]
* [[100% renewable energy]]
* [[Grid energy storage]]
* [[Global Wind Day]]
* [[Renewable energy]]
* [[Hydrogen economy]]
* [[List of countries by renewable electricity production]]
* [[Wind]]
* [[List of wind turbine manufacturers]]
* [[Windmill]]
* [[Wind farm]]
* [[List of offshore wind farms]]
* [[Wind turbine]]
* [[Lists of wind farms]]
* [[Merchant Wind Power]]
* [[Outline of wind energy]]
* [[Wind power by country]]
* [[Wind resource assessment]]
* [[Wind-powered vehicle]]
{{div col end}}


=== By country ===
== Notes ==
* [[:Category:Wind power by country]]
*[[List of large wind farms]]


{{notelist-ua}}
==References==

<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


== Wind power projects ==
== External links ==

*[http://www.awea.org/projects/ Database of projects throughout the United States]
{{Commons category|Wind power}}
*[http://www.thewindpower.net/index_en.php Database of projects throughout the whole World]
* {{official website|http://gwec.net/}} of Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)
*[[Altamont Pass]]
* [https://regeneration.org/index.php/nexus/wind Wind] from Project Regeneration
*[[Cape Wind]] ([[Massachusetts]])
* {{official website|https://wwindea.org/}} of World Wind Energy Association (WWEA)
*[[Gharo Wind Power Plant]] in [[Pakistan]]
* [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/renewables-2021-data-explorer?mode=market&region=World&publication=2021&product=Total Dynamic Data Dashboard] from the International Energy Agency
*[[Wind power in Denmark]]
* [https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/overlay=wind_power_density/winkel3 Current global map of wind power density]
*[[Wind power in Spain]]

*[[Wind power in Germany]]
{{footer energy}}
*[[Wind power in Australia]]
*[[Wind power in the United Kingdom]]
{{Wind power}}
{{Wind power by country}}
*[[Renewable energy in Scotland]]
{{Electricity delivery|state=collapsed}}
*[http://www.offshorewind.net Database of offshore wind projects in North America]
{{Application of wind energy}}
{{Renewable energy by country}}
{{Natural resources}}


{{Authority control}}
==External links==
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[[Category:Wind power]]
[[Category:Bright green environmentalism]]
[[Category:Landscape]]
[[Category:Wind power| ]]
[[Category:Alternative energy]]
[[Category:Renewable energy]]
[[Category:Renewable energy]]


[[ja:風力]]
{{Link FA|vi}}
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[[af:Windenergie]]
[[ar:طاقة ريحية]]
[[be:Энергія ветру]]
[[be-x-old:Энергія ветру]]
[[ca:Energia eòlica]]
[[cs:Větrná energie]]
[[cy:Egni gwynt]]
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[[el:Αιολική ενέργεια]]
[[es:Energía eólica]]
[[eo:Ventoenergio]]
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[[gl:Enerxía eólica]]
[[id:Tenaga angin]]
[[it:Energia eolica]]
[[he:אנרגיית רוח]]
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[[lt:Vėjo energija]]
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[[ja:風力発電]]
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[[nn:Vindkraft]]
[[pl:Energia wiatru]]
[[pt:Energia eólica]]
[[ro:Energie eoliană]]
[[ru:Ветроэнергетика]]
[[sl:Vetrna energija]]
[[sh:Energija vjetra]]
[[fi:Tuulivoima]]
[[sv:Vindkraft]]
[[th:พลังงานลม]]
[[vi:Năng lượng gió]]
[[tr:Rüzgâr enerjisi]]
[[uk:Вітроенергетика]]
[[bat-smg:Viejė energėjė]]
[[zh:風能]]

Latest revision as of 06:16, 11 November 2024

Wind farm in Xinjiang, China
Electricity production by source

Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity generation. Today, wind power is generated almost completely with wind turbines, generally grouped into wind farms and connected to the electrical grid.

In 2022, wind supplied over 2,304 TWh of electricity, which was 7.8% of world electricity.[1] With about 100 GW added during 2021, mostly in China and the United States, global installed wind power capacity exceeded 800 GW.[2][3][4] 32 countries generated more than a tenth of their electricity from wind power in 2023 and wind generation has nearly tripled since 2015.[1] To help meet the Paris Agreement goals to limit climate change, analysts say it should expand much faster – by over 1% of electricity generation per year.[5]

Wind power is considered a sustainable, renewable energy source, and has a much smaller impact on the environment compared to burning fossil fuels. Wind power is variable, so it needs energy storage or other dispatchable generation energy sources to attain a reliable supply of electricity. Land-based (onshore) wind farms have a greater visual impact on the landscape than most other power stations per energy produced.[6][7] Wind farms sited offshore have less visual impact and have higher capacity factors, although they are generally more expensive.[2] Offshore wind power currently has a share of about 10% of new installations.[8]

Wind power is one of the lowest-cost electricity sources per unit of energy produced. In many locations, new onshore wind farms are cheaper than new coal or gas plants.[9]

Regions in the higher northern and southern latitudes have the highest potential for wind power.[10] In most regions, wind power generation is higher in nighttime, and in winter when solar power output is low. For this reason, combinations of wind and solar power are suitable in many countries.[11]

Wind energy resources

Global map of wind speed at 100 meters on land and around coasts.[12]
Distribution of wind speed (red) and energy (blue) for all of 2002 at the Lee Ranch facility in Colorado. The histogram shows measured data, while the curve is the Rayleigh model distribution for the same average wind speed.
Global map of wind power density potential[13]

Wind is air movement in the Earth's atmosphere. In a unit of time, say 1 second, the volume of air that had passed an area is . If the air density is , the mass of this volume of air is , and the power transfer, or energy transfer per second is . Wind power is thus proportional to the third power of the wind speed; the available power increases eightfold when the wind speed doubles. Change of wind speed by a factor of 2.1544 increases the wind power by one order of magnitude (multiply by 10).

The global wind kinetic energy averaged approximately 1.50 MJ/m2 over the period from 1979 to 2010, 1.31 MJ/m2 in the Northern Hemisphere with 1.70 MJ/m2 in the Southern Hemisphere. The atmosphere acts as a thermal engine, absorbing heat at higher temperatures, releasing heat at lower temperatures. The process is responsible for the production of wind kinetic energy at a rate of 2.46 W/m2 thus sustaining the circulation of the atmosphere against friction.[14]

Through wind resource assessment, it is possible to estimate wind power potential globally, by country or region, or for a specific site. The Global Wind Atlas provided by the Technical University of Denmark in partnership with the World Bank provides a global assessment of wind power potential.[12][15][16] Unlike 'static' wind resource atlases which average estimates of wind speed and power density across multiple years, tools such as Renewables.ninja provide time-varying simulations of wind speed and power output from different wind turbine models at an hourly resolution.[17] More detailed, site-specific assessments of wind resource potential can be obtained from specialist commercial providers, and many of the larger wind developers have in-house modeling capabilities.

The total amount of economically extractable power available from the wind is considerably more than present human power use from all sources.[18] The strength of wind varies, and an average value for a given location does not alone indicate the amount of energy a wind turbine could produce there.

To assess prospective wind power sites, a probability distribution function is often fit to the observed wind speed data.[19] Different locations will have different wind speed distributions. The Weibull model closely mirrors the actual distribution of hourly/ten-minute wind speeds at many locations. The Weibull factor is often close to 2 and therefore a Rayleigh distribution can be used as a less accurate, but simpler model.[20]

Wind farms

Large onshore wind farms
Wind farm Capacity
(MW)
Country Refs
Gansu Wind Farm 7,965  China [21]
Muppandal Wind Farm 1,500  India [22]
Alta (Oak Creek-Mojave) 1,320  United States [23]
Jaisalmer Wind Park 1,064  India [24]

A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines distributed over an extended area. The land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other purposes. A wind farm may also be located offshore. Almost all large wind turbines have the same design — a horizontal axis wind turbine having an upwind rotor with 3 blades, attached to a nacelle on top of a tall tubular tower.

In a wind farm, individual turbines are interconnected with a medium voltage (often 34.5 kV) power collection system[25] and communications network. In general, a distance of 7D (7 times the rotor diameter of the wind turbine) is set between each turbine in a fully developed wind farm.[26] At a substation, this medium-voltage electric current is increased in voltage with a transformer for connection to the high voltage electric power transmission system.[27]

Generator characteristics and stability

Most modern turbines use variable speed generators combined with either a partial or full-scale power converter between the turbine generator and the collector system, which generally have more desirable properties for grid interconnection and have low voltage ride through-capabilities.[28] Modern turbines use either doubly fed electric machines with partial-scale converters or squirrel-cage induction generators or synchronous generators (both permanently and electrically excited) with full-scale converters.[29] Black start is possible[30] and is being further developed for places (such as Iowa) which generate most of their electricity from wind.[31]

Transmission system operators will supply a wind farm developer with a grid code to specify the requirements for interconnection to the transmission grid. This will include the power factor, the constancy of frequency, and the dynamic behaviour of the wind farm turbines during a system fault.[32][33]

Offshore wind power

The world's second full-scale floating wind turbine (and first to be installed without the use of heavy-lift vessels), WindFloat, operating at rated capacity (2  MW) approximately 5  km offshore of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
Offshore windfarms, including floating windfarms, provide a small but growing fraction of total windfarm power generation. Such power generation capacity must grow substantially to help meet the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 pathway to combat climate change.[34]

Offshore wind power is wind farms in large bodies of water, usually the sea. These installations can use the more frequent and powerful winds that are available in these locations and have less visual impact on the landscape than land-based projects. However, the construction and maintenance costs are considerably higher.[35][36]

As of November 2021, the Hornsea Wind Farm in the United Kingdom is the largest offshore wind farm in the world at 1,218 MW.[37]

Collection and transmission network

Near offshore wind farms may be connected by AC and far offshore by HVDC.[38]

Wind power resources are not always located near to high population density. As transmission lines become longer, the losses associated with power transmission increase, as modes of losses at lower lengths are exacerbated and new modes of losses are no longer negligible as the length is increased; making it harder to transport large loads over large distances.[39]

When the transmission capacity does not meet the generation capacity, wind farms are forced to produce below their full potential or stop running altogether, in a process known as curtailment. While this leads to potential renewable generation left untapped, it prevents possible grid overload or risk to reliable service.[40]

One of the biggest current challenges to wind power grid integration in some countries is the necessity of developing new transmission lines to carry power from wind farms, usually in remote lowly populated areas due to availability of wind, to high load locations, usually on the coasts where population density is higher.[41] Any existing transmission lines in remote locations may not have been designed for the transport of large amounts of energy.[42] In particular geographic regions, peak wind speeds may not coincide with peak demand for electrical power, whether offshore or onshore. A possible future option may be to interconnect widely dispersed geographic areas with an HVDC super grid.[43]

Wind power capacity and production

Renewable energy sources, especially solar photovoltaic and wind power, are providing an increasing share of power capacity.[44]
Wind energy generation by region[45]
Wind generation by country
Log graph of global wind power cumulative capacity (Data:GWEC)[46]
Number of countries with wind capacities in the gigawatt-scale by year
10
20
30
40
2005
2010
2015
2020
Growing number of wind gigawatt-markets
  Above 1-GW mark
  • 2022 Croatia Kazakhstan
    2021 Russia Taiwan Vietnam
    2019 Argentina Thailand Ukraine
    2018 Pakistan Egypt
    2017 Norway
    2016 Chile Uruguay South Korea
    2015 South Africa Finland
    2012 Mexico Romania
    2011 Brazil Belgium
    2010 Austria Poland Turkey
    2009 Greece
    2008 Republic of Ireland Australia Sweden
    2006 Canada France
    2005 United Kingdom China Japan Portugal
    2004 Netherlands Italy
    1999 Spain India
    1997 Denmark
    1995 Germany
    1986 United States
  Above 10-GW mark
  • 2022 Australia
    2021 Sweden Turkey
    2018 Italy
    2016 Brazil
    2015 Canada France
    2013 United Kingdom
    2009 India
    2008 China
    2006 United States Spain
    2002 Germany
  Above 100-GW mark
  • 2019 United States
    2014 China                  

In 2020, wind supplied almost 1600 TWh of electricity, which was over 5% of worldwide electrical generation and about 2% of energy consumption.[47][3] With over 100 GW added during 2020, mostly in China, global installed wind power capacity reached more than 730 GW.[2][3] But to help meet the Paris Agreement's goals to limit climate change, analysts say it should expand much faster – by over 1% of electricity generation per year.[5] Expansion of wind power is being hindered by fossil fuel subsidies.[48][49][50]

The actual amount of electric power that wind can generate is calculated by multiplying the nameplate capacity by the capacity factor, which varies according to equipment and location. Estimates of the capacity factors for wind installations are in the range of 35% to 44%.[51]

Capacity factor

Since wind speed is not constant, a wind farm's annual energy production is never as much as the sum of the generator nameplate ratings multiplied by the total hours in a year. The ratio of actual productivity in a year to this theoretical maximum is called the capacity factor. Online data is available for some locations, and the capacity factor can be calculated from the yearly output.[52][53]

Penetration

Share of electricity production from wind, 2023[54]

Wind energy penetration is the fraction of energy produced by wind compared with the total generation. Wind power's share of worldwide electricity usage in 2021 was almost 7%,[55] up from 3.5% in 2015.[56][57]

There is no generally accepted maximum level of wind penetration. The limit for a particular grid will depend on the existing generating plants, pricing mechanisms, capacity for energy storage, demand management, and other factors. An interconnected electric power grid will already include reserve generating and transmission capacity to allow for equipment failures. This reserve capacity can also serve to compensate for the varying power generation produced by wind stations. Studies have indicated that 20% of the total annual electrical energy consumption may be incorporated with minimal difficulty.[58] These studies have been for locations with geographically dispersed wind farms, some degree of dispatchable energy or hydropower with storage capacity, demand management, and interconnected to a large grid area enabling the export of electric power when needed. Electrical utilities continue to study the effects of large-scale penetration of wind generation on system stability.[59]

A wind energy penetration figure can be specified for different duration of time but is often quoted annually. To generate almost all electricity from wind annually requires substantial interconnection to other systems, for example some wind power in Scotland is sent to the rest of the British grid.[60] On a monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly basis—or less—wind might supply as much as or more than 100% of current use, with the rest stored, exported or curtailed. The seasonal industry might then take advantage of high wind and low usage times such as at night when wind output can exceed normal demand. Such industry might include the production of silicon, aluminum,[61] steel, or natural gas, and hydrogen, and using future long-term storage to facilitate 100% energy from variable renewable energy.[62][63][better source needed] Homes and businesses can also be programmed to vary electricity demand,[64][65] for example by remotely turning up water heater thermostats.[66]

Variability

Wind turbines are typically installed in windy locations. In the image, wind power generators in Spain, near an Osborne bull.
Roscoe Wind Farm: an onshore wind farm in West Texas near Roscoe

Wind power is variable, and during low wind periods, it may need to be replaced by other power sources. Transmission networks presently cope with outages of other generation plants and daily changes in electrical demand, but the variability of intermittent power sources such as wind power is more frequent than those of conventional power generation plants which, when scheduled to be operating, may be able to deliver their nameplate capacity around 95% of the time.

Electric power generated from wind power can be highly variable at several different timescales: hourly, daily, or seasonally. Annual variation also exists but is not as significant.[citation needed] Because instantaneous electrical generation and consumption must remain in balance to maintain grid stability, this variability can present substantial challenges to incorporating large amounts of wind power into a grid system. Intermittency and the non-dispatchable nature of wind energy production can raise costs for regulation, incremental operating reserve, and (at high penetration levels) could require an increase in the already existing energy demand management, load shedding, storage solutions, or system interconnection with HVDC cables.

Fluctuations in load and allowance for the failure of large fossil-fuel generating units require operating reserve capacity, which can be increased to compensate for the variability of wind generation.

Utility-scale batteries are often used to balance hourly and shorter timescale variation,[67][68] but car batteries may gain ground from the mid-2020s.[69] Wind power advocates argue that periods of low wind can be dealt with by simply restarting existing power stations that have been held in readiness, or interlinking with HVDC.[70]

The combination of diversifying variable renewables by type and location, forecasting their variation, and integrating them with dispatchable renewables, flexible fueled generators, and demand response can create a power system that has the potential to meet power supply needs reliably. Integrating ever-higher levels of renewables is being successfully demonstrated in the real world.[71]

Seasonal cycle of capacity factors for wind and photovoltaics in Europe under idealized assumptions. The figure illustrates the balancing effects of wind and solar energy at the seasonal scale (Kaspar et al., 2019).[72]

Solar power tends to be complementary to wind.[73][74] On daily to weekly timescales, high-pressure areas tend to bring clear skies and low surface winds, whereas low-pressure areas tend to be windier and cloudier. On seasonal timescales, solar energy peaks in summer, whereas in many areas wind energy is lower in summer and higher in winter.[A][75] Thus the seasonal variation of wind and solar power tend to cancel each other somewhat.[72] Wind hybrid power systems are becoming more popular.[76]

Predictability

For any particular generator, there is an 80% chance that wind output will change less than 10% in an hour and a 40% chance that it will change 10% or more in 5 hours.[77]

In summer 2021, wind power in the United Kingdom fell due to the lowest winds in seventy years,[78] In the future, smoothing peaks by producing green hydrogen may help when wind has a larger share of generation.[79]

While the output from a single turbine can vary greatly and rapidly as local wind speeds vary, as more turbines are connected over larger and larger areas the average power output becomes less variable and more predictable.[28][80] Weather forecasting permits the electric-power network to be readied for the predictable variations in production that occur.[81]

It is thought that the most reliable low-carbon electricity systems will include a large share of wind power.[82]

Energy storage

Energy from wind, sunlight or other renewable energy is converted to potential energy for storage in devices such as electric batteries or higher-elevation water reservoirs. The stored potential energy is later converted to electricity that is added to the power grid, even when the original energy source is not available.

Typically, conventional hydroelectricity complements wind power very well. When the wind is blowing strongly, nearby hydroelectric stations can temporarily hold back their water. When the wind drops they can, provided they have the generation capacity, rapidly increase production to compensate. This gives a very even overall power supply and virtually no loss of energy and uses no more water.

Alternatively, where a suitable head of water is not available, pumped-storage hydroelectricity or other forms of grid energy storage such as compressed air energy storage and thermal energy storage can store energy developed by high-wind periods and release it when needed. The type of storage needed depends on the wind penetration level – low penetration requires daily storage, and high penetration requires both short- and long-term storage – as long as a month or more.[citation needed] Stored energy increases the economic value of wind energy since it can be shifted to displace higher-cost generation during peak demand periods. The potential revenue from this arbitrage can offset the cost and losses of storage. Although pumped-storage power systems are only about 75% efficient and have high installation costs, their low running costs and ability to reduce the required electrical base-load can save both fuel and total electrical generation costs.[83][84]

Energy payback

The energy needed to build a wind farm divided into the total output over its life, Energy Return on Energy Invested, of wind power varies, but averages about 20–25.[85][86] Thus, the energy payback time is typically around a year.

Economics

Onshore wind cost per kilowatt-hour between 1983 and 2017[87]

Onshore wind is an inexpensive source of electric power, cheaper than coal plants and new gas plants.[9] According to BusinessGreen, wind turbines reached grid parity (the point at which the cost of wind power matches traditional sources) in some areas of Europe in the mid-2000s, and in the US around the same time. Falling prices continue to drive the Levelized cost down and it has been suggested that it has reached general grid parity in Europe in 2010, and will reach the same point in the US around 2016 due to an expected reduction in capital costs of about 12%.[88][needs update] In 2021, the CEO of Siemens Gamesa warned that increased demand for low-cost wind turbines combined with high input costs and high costs of steel result in increased pressure on the manufacturers and decreasing profit margins.[89]

Northern Eurasia, Canada, some parts of the United States, and Patagonia in Argentina are the best areas for onshore wind: whereas in other parts of the world solar power, or a combination of wind and solar, tend to be cheaper.[90]: 8 

A turbine blade convoy passing through Edenfield in the U.K. (2008). Even longer 2-piece blades are now manufactured, and then assembled on-site to reduce difficulties in transportation.

Wind power is capital intensive but has no fuel costs.[91] The price of wind power is therefore much more stable than the volatile prices of fossil fuel sources.[92] However, the estimated average cost per unit of electric power must incorporate the cost of construction of the turbine and transmission facilities, borrowed funds, return to investors (including the cost of risk), estimated annual production, and other components, averaged over the projected useful life of the equipment, which may be more than 20 years. Energy cost estimates are highly dependent on these assumptions so published cost figures can differ substantially.

The presence of wind energy, even when subsidized, can reduce costs for consumers (€5 billion/yr in Germany) by reducing the marginal price, by minimizing the use of expensive peaking power plants.[93]

The cost has decreased as wind turbine technology has improved. There are now longer and lighter wind turbine blades, improvements in turbine performance, and increased power generation efficiency. Also, wind project capital expenditure costs and maintenance costs have continued to decline.[94]

In 2021, a Lazard study of unsubsidized electricity said that wind power levelized cost of electricity continues to fall but more slowly than before. The study estimated new wind-generated electricity cost from $26 to $50/MWh, compared to new gas power from $45 to $74/MWh. The median cost of fully deprecated existing coal power was $42/MWh, nuclear $29/MWh and gas $24/MWh. The study estimated offshore wind at around $83/MWh. Compound annual growth rate was 4% per year from 2016 to 2021, compared to 10% per year from 2009 to 2021.[9]

The value of wind power

While the levelised costs of wind power may have reached that of traditional combustion based power technologies, the market value of the generated power is also lower due to the merit order effect, which implies that electricity market prices are lower in hours with substantial generation of variable renewable energy due to the low marginal costs of this technology.[95] The effect has been identified in several European markets.[96] For wind power plants exposed to electricity market pricing in markets with high penetration of variable renewable energy sources, profitability can be challenged.

Incentives and community benefits

Turbine prices have fallen significantly in recent years due to tougher competitive conditions such as the increased use of energy auctions, and the elimination of subsidies in many markets.[97] As of 2021, subsidies are still often given to offshore wind. But they are generally no longer necessary for onshore wind in countries with even a very low carbon price such as China, provided there are no competing fossil fuel subsidies.[98]

Secondary market forces provide incentives for businesses to use wind-generated power, even if there is a premium price for the electricity. For example, socially responsible manufacturers pay utility companies a premium that goes to subsidize and build new wind power infrastructure. Companies use wind-generated power, and in return, they can claim that they are undertaking strong "green" efforts.[99] Wind projects provide local taxes, or payments in place of taxes and strengthen the economy of rural communities by providing income to farmers with wind turbines on their land.[100][101]

The wind energy sector can also produce jobs during the construction and operating phase.[102] Jobs include the manufacturing of wind turbines and the construction process, which includes transporting, installing, and then maintaining the turbines. An estimated 1.25 million people were employed in wind power in 2020.[103]

Small-scale wind power

A small Quietrevolution QR5 Gorlov type vertical axis wind turbine on the roof of Bristol Beacon in Bristol, England. Measuring 3 m in diameter and 5 m high, it has a nameplate rating of 6.5 kW.

Small-scale wind power is the name given to wind generation systems with the capacity to produce up to 50 kW of electrical power.[104] Isolated communities, that may otherwise rely on diesel generators, may use wind turbines as an alternative. Individuals may purchase these systems to reduce or eliminate their dependence on grid electric power for economic reasons, or to reduce their carbon footprint. Wind turbines have been used for household electric power generation in conjunction with battery storage over many decades in remote areas.[105]

Examples of small-scale wind power projects in an urban setting can be found in New York City, where, since 2009, several building projects have capped their roofs with Gorlov-type helical wind turbines. Although the energy they generate is small compared to the buildings' overall consumption, they help to reinforce the building's 'green' credentials in ways that "showing people your high-tech boiler" cannot, with some of the projects also receiving the direct support of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.[106]

Grid-connected domestic wind turbines may use grid energy storage, thus replacing purchased electric power with locally produced power when available. The surplus power produced by domestic microgenerators can, in some jurisdictions, be fed into the network and sold to the utility company, producing a retail credit for the microgenerators' owners to offset their energy costs.[107]

Off-grid system users can either adapt to intermittent power or use batteries, photovoltaic, or diesel systems to supplement the wind turbine.[108] Equipment such as parking meters, traffic warning signs, street lighting, or wireless Internet gateways may be powered by a small wind turbine, possibly combined with a photovoltaic system, that charges a small battery replacing the need for a connection to the power grid.[109]

Airborne wind turbines, such as kites, can be used in places at risk of hurricanes, as they can be taken down in advance.[110]

Impact on environment and landscape

Greenhouse gas emissions per energy source. Wind energy is one of the sources with the least greenhouse gas emissions.
Livestock grazing near a wind turbine.[111]

The environmental impact of electricity generation from wind power is minor when compared to that of fossil fuel power.[112] Wind turbines have some of the lowest life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions of energy sources: far less greenhouse gas is emitted than for the average unit of electricity, so wind power helps limit climate change.[113] Use of engineered wood may allow carbon negative wind power.[114] Wind power consumes no fuel, and emits no local air pollution, unlike fossil fuel power sources.

Onshore wind farms can have a significant visual impact.[115] Due to a very low surface power density and spacing requirements, wind farms typically need to be spread over more land than other power stations.[6][116] Their network of turbines, access roads, transmission lines, and substations can result in "energy sprawl";[7] although land between the turbines and roads can still be used for agriculture.[117][118] Some wind farms are opposed for potentially spoiling protected scenic areas, archaeological landscapes and heritage sites.[119][120][121] A report by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland concluded that wind farms harmed tourism in areas known for natural landscapes and panoramic views.[122]

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest potential impacts on wildlife of onshore wind farms,[7] but the worldwide ecological impact is minimal.[112] Thousands of birds and bats, including rare species, have been killed by wind turbine blades,[123] though wind turbines are responsible for far fewer bird deaths than fossil-fueled power stations when climate change effects are included.[124] Not including these effects, modern wind turbines kill about 0.273 birds per GWh in comparison with 0.200 by coal power plants.[124] The effects of wind turbines on birds can be mitigated with proper wildlife monitoring.[125]

Many wind turbine blades are made of fiberglass, and have a lifetime of 20 years.[126] Blades are hollow: some blades are crushed to reduce their volume and then landfilled.[127] However, as they can take a lot of weight they can be made into long lasting small bridges for walkers or cyclists.[128] Blade end-of-life is complicated,[129] and blades manufactured in the 2020s are more likely to be designed to be completely recyclable.[130]

Wind turbines also generate noise. At a distance of 300 metres (980 ft), this may be around 45 dB, which is slightly louder than a refrigerator. At 1.5 km (1 mi), they become inaudible.[131][132] There are anecdotal reports of negative health effects on people who live very close to wind turbines.[133] Peer-reviewed research has generally not supported these claims.[134][135][136]

Politics

Central government

Although wind turbines with fixed bases are a mature technology and new installations are generally no longer subsidized,[137][138] floating wind turbines are a relatively new technology so some governments subsidize them, for example to use deeper waters.[139]

Fossil fuel subsidies by some governments are slowing the growth of renewables.[140]

Permitting of wind farms can take years and some governments are trying to speed up – the wind industry says this will help limit climate change and increase energy security[141] – sometimes groups such as fishers resist this[142] but governments say that rules protecting biodiversity will still be followed.[143]

Public opinion

Acceptance of wind and solar facilities in one's community is stronger among U.S. Democrats (blue), while acceptance of nuclear power plants is stronger among U.S. Republicans (red).[144]

Surveys of public attitudes across Europe and in many other countries show strong public support for wind power.[145][146][147] Bakker et al. (2012) found in their study that residents who did not want turbines built near them suffered significantly more stress than those who "benefited economically from wind turbines".[148]

Although wind power is a popular form of energy generation, onshore or near offshore wind farms are sometimes opposed for their impact on the landscape (especially scenic areas, heritage areas and archaeological landscapes), as well as noise, and impact on tourism.[149][150]

In other cases, there is direct community ownership of wind farms. The hundreds of thousands of people who have become involved in Germany's small and medium-sized wind farms demonstrate such support there.[151]

A 2010 Harris Poll found strong support for wind power in Germany, other European countries, and the United States.[145][146][152]

Public support in the United States has decreased from 75% in 2020 to 62% in 2021, with the Democratic Party supporting the use of wind energy twice as much as the Republican Party.[153] President Biden has signed an executive order to begin building large scale wind farms.[154]

In China, Shen et al. (2019) found that Chinese city-dwellers may be resistant to building wind turbines in urban areas, with a surprisingly high proportion of people citing an unfounded fear of radiation as driving their concerns.[155] Also, the study finds that like their counterparts in OECD countries, urban Chinese respondents are sensitive to direct costs and wildlife externalities. Distributing relevant information about turbines to the public may alleviate resistance.

Community

Wind turbines such as these, in Cumbria, England, have been opposed for a number of reasons, including aesthetics, by some sectors of the population.[156][157]

Many wind power companies work with local communities to reduce environmental and other concerns associated with particular wind farms.[158][159][160] In other cases there is direct community ownership of wind farm projects. Appropriate government consultation, planning and approval procedures also help to minimize environmental risks.[145][161][162] Some may still object to wind farms[163] but many say their concerns should be weighed against the need to address the threats posed by air pollution,[164][113] climate change[165] and the opinions of the broader community.[166]

In the US, wind power projects are reported to boost local tax bases, helping to pay for schools, roads, and hospitals, and to revitalize the economies of rural communities by providing steady income to farmers and other landowners.[100]

In the UK, both the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England have expressed concerns about the effects on the rural landscape caused by inappropriately sited wind turbines and wind farms.[167][168]

A panoramic view of the United Kingdom's Whitelee Wind Farm with Lochgoin Reservoir in the foreground.

Some wind farms have become tourist attractions. The Whitelee Wind Farm Visitor Centre has an exhibition room, a learning hub, a café with a viewing deck and also a shop. It is run by the Glasgow Science Centre.[169]

In Denmark, a loss-of-value scheme gives people the right to claim compensation for loss of value of their property if it is caused by proximity to a wind turbine. The loss must be at least 1% of the property's value.[170]

Despite this general support for the concept of wind power in the public at large, local opposition often exists and has delayed or aborted a number of projects.[171][172][173] As well as concerns about the landscape, there are concerns that some installations can produce excessive sound and vibration levels leading to a decrease in property values.[174] A study of 50,000 home sales near wind turbines found no statistical evidence that prices were affected.[175]

While aesthetic issues are subjective and some find wind farms pleasant and optimistic, or symbols of energy independence and local prosperity, protest groups are often formed to attempt to block some wind power stations for various reasons.[163][176][177]

Some opposition to wind farms is dismissed as NIMBYism,[178] but research carried out in 2009 found that there is little evidence to support the belief that residents only object to wind farms because of a "Not in my Back Yard" attitude.[179]

Geopolitics

Wind cannot be cut off unlike oil and gas so can contribute to energy security.[180]

Turbine design

Typical components of a wind turbine (gearbox, rotor shaft and brake assembly) being lifted into position

Wind turbines are devices that convert the wind's kinetic energy into electrical power. The result of over a millennium of windmill development and modern engineering, today's wind turbines are manufactured in a wide range of horizontal axis and vertical axis types. The smallest turbines are used for applications such as battery charging for auxiliary power. Slightly larger turbines can be used for making small contributions to a domestic power supply while selling unused power back to the utility supplier via the electrical grid. Arrays of large turbines, known as wind farms, have become an increasingly important source of renewable energy and are used in many countries as part of a strategy to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

Wind turbine design is the process of defining the form and specifications of a wind turbine to extract energy from the wind.[181] A wind turbine installation consists of the necessary systems needed to capture the wind's energy, point the turbine into the wind, convert mechanical rotation into electrical power, and other systems to start, stop, and control the turbine.

In 1919, the German physicist Albert Betz showed that for a hypothetical ideal wind-energy extraction machine, the fundamental laws of conservation of mass and energy allowed no more than 16/27 (59%) of the kinetic energy of the wind to be captured. This Betz limit can be approached in modern turbine designs, which may reach 70 to 80% of the theoretical Betz limit.[182][183]

The aerodynamics of a wind turbine are not straightforward. The airflow at the blades is not the same as the airflow far away from the turbine. The very nature of how energy is extracted from the air also causes air to be deflected by the turbine. This affects the objects or other turbines downstream, which is known as "wake effect". Also, the aerodynamics of a wind turbine at the rotor surface exhibit phenomena that are rarely seen in other aerodynamic fields. The shape and dimensions of the blades of the wind turbine are determined by the aerodynamic performance required to efficiently extract energy from the wind, and by the strength required to resist the forces on the blade.[184]

In addition to the aerodynamic design of the blades, the design of a complete wind power system must also address the design of the installation's rotor hub, nacelle, tower structure, generator, controls, and foundation.[185]

History

Charles F. Brush's windmill of 1888, used for generating electric power.

Wind power has been used as long as humans have put sails into the wind. Wind-powered machines used to grind grain and pump water, the windmill and wind pump, were developed in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan by the 9th century.[186][187] Wind power was widely available and not confined to the banks of fast-flowing streams, or later, requiring sources of fuel. Wind-powered pumps drained the polders of the Netherlands, and in arid regions such as the American mid-west or the Australian outback, wind pumps provided water for livestock and steam engines.

The first windmill used for the production of electric power was built in Scotland in July 1887 by Prof James Blyth of Anderson's College, Glasgow (the precursor of Strathclyde University).[188] Blyth's 10 metres (33 ft) high cloth-sailed wind turbine was installed in the garden of his holiday cottage at Marykirk in Kincardineshire, and was used to charge accumulators developed by the Frenchman Camille Alphonse Faure, to power the lighting in the cottage,[188] thus making it the first house in the world to have its electric power supplied by wind power.[189] Blyth offered the surplus electric power to the people of Marykirk for lighting the main street, however, they turned down the offer as they thought electric power was "the work of the devil."[188] Although he later built a wind turbine to supply emergency power to the local Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary, and Dispensary of Montrose, the invention never really caught on as the technology was not considered to be economically viable.[188]

Across the Atlantic, in Cleveland, Ohio, a larger and heavily engineered machine was designed and constructed in the winter of 1887–1888 by Charles F. Brush.[190] This was built by his engineering company at his home and operated from 1886 until 1900.[191] The Brush wind turbine had a rotor 17 metres (56 ft) in diameter and was mounted on an 18 metres (59 ft) tower. Although large by today's standards, the machine was only rated at 12 kW. The connected dynamo was used either to charge a bank of batteries or to operate up to 100 incandescent light bulbs, three arc lamps, and various motors in Brush's laboratory.[192] With the development of electric power, wind power found new applications in lighting buildings remote from centrally generated power. Throughout the 20th century parallel paths developed small wind stations suitable for farms or residences. From 1932 many isolated properties in Australia ran their lighting and electric fans from batteries, charged by a "Freelite" wind-driven generator, producing 100 watts of electrical power from as little wind speed as 10 miles per hour (16 km/h).[193]

The 1973 oil crisis triggered the investigation in Denmark and the United States that led to larger utility-scale wind generators that could be connected to electric power grids for remote use of power. By 2008, the U.S. installed capacity had reached 25.4 gigawatts, and by 2012 the installed capacity was 60 gigawatts.[194] Today, wind-powered generators operate in every size range between tiny stations for battery charging at isolated residences, up to gigawatt-sized offshore wind farms that provide electric power to national electrical networks. The European Union is working to augment these prospects.[195]

In 2023, the global wind power sector experienced significant growth, with 116.6 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity added to the power grid, representing a 50% increase over the amount added in 2022. This surge in capacity brought the total installed wind power capacity worldwide to 1,021 GW by the end of the year, marking a growth of 13% compared to the previous year.[196]: 138 

See also

Notes

  1. ^ California is an exception

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