How Wind Energy Is Converted Into Electricity

Windmills convert the energy of the wind into electricity.

Wind energy is produced through the use of generators that capture the kinetic energy of the wind, thus providing a renewable source of energy. According to the Alternative Energy News website, wind power is growing in popularity as a large scale energy source, although it currently provides less than 1 percent of global energy consumption.

Wind Energy

Wind arises as a result of changes in temperature and pressure driven by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun. The Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Information Center explains how the terms "wind energy" and "wind power" describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity.

Wind Turbines

A wind turbine captures the wind to produce energy. The rotors on wind turbines spin in the blowing wind; this movement of the spinning blades provides power to a generator which produces electricity, explains the Energy Matters website. The Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Information Center describes wind turbines as acting in the opposite way to an electric fan; instead of using electricity to make wind like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity.

Converting Wind Energy Into Electricity

Energy Matter explains how wind power is converted to electricity by magnets moving past stationary coils of wire known as the stator. As the magnets pass the stator they produce AC electricity which is converted into DC electricity that is either stored in batteries or fed into the national electricity grid.

References

• Alternative Energy News: Wind Power
• Energy Matters: How a Wind Turbine Works
• The Wind Energy Programmatic EIS Information Center: Wind Energy Basics