How Much Power Does a Wind Turbine Generate?

Open, windy fields are excellent sites for wind farms.

Wind energy is a clean form of electrical power that is growing in popularity across the world. A wind turbine that can power a house can, within a few years, often produce excess power that can be sold for profit.

Measuring Energy Output

One watt is equal to one joule of energy per second. Hence, a kilowatt is equal to one thousand watts, and a kilowatt-hour, the common industrial measurement, means one thousand watts consumed or produced in one hour.

Power Generation by Wind Turbines

Wind turbine power output depends on blade size and wind speed. Contemporary wind turbines have power ratings between 250 watts to 5 megawatts, or 5 million watts. A 10-kilowatt turbine will put out an average of 10,000 kilowatt-hours each year, enough to power an average house.

Wind Speed and Power

Small changes in wind speed make huge differences in wind power. A wind's power is proportional to the cube of its speed; in other words, a 2 m.p.h. wind puts out eight times more power than a 1 m.p.h wind, since two raised to the third power equals eight, and one raised to the third power equals one.

References

• American Wind Energy Association: Wind Energy Basics: How much electricity can one wind turbine generate?