How wind turbines work

Diagram of wind turbine components
Diagram of wind mill workings.

Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy (public domain)

Map of top wind power producing states, 2014. They are Texas, Iowa, California, Kanasas, and Oklahoma
Map of U.S. wind electricity generation capacity
Map of wind production in U.S.

Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy (public domain)

Note: See progress of installed wind capacity from 1999 to most recent year available.

Wind turbines use blades to collect the wind’s kinetic energy. Wind flows over the blades creating lift (similar to the effect on airplane wings), which causes the blades to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator, which produces electricity.

Electricity generation with wind

In 2014, wind turbines in the United States generated about 4% of total U.S. electricity generation. Although this is a small share of the country's total electricity production, it was equal to the electricity use of about 17 million U.S. households in 2013.

The amount of electricity generated from wind has grown significantly in recent years. Electricity generation from wind in the United States increased from about 6 billion kilowatthours (kWh) in 2000, to about 182 billion kWh in 2014.

New technologies have decreased the cost of producing electricity from wind, and growth in wind power has been encouraged by government and industry incentives.