23 Wind Energy Facts: Surprising Info to Know

01

Wind turbines are getting bigger

Modern wind turbines are enormous, and they’ve only increased in size as materials and research progress. The first wind turbines from 1990 were approximately 18.29 m tall (60 feet), but the largest onshore turbines are now standing at 135 m tall (443 feet).

And when you consider that the average installed capacity of turbines in 2022 was 3.2 megawatts, they’re also incredibly powerful. If you expand the scale to include offshore wind turbines, they reach an incredible 150 m (495 feet).

02

Wind brings a lot of energy to select US States

While wind energy powers much of the world, it’s particularly trendy in rural American states. Despite being seen as relatively small fry, wind provides over half of the total electricity generation in Iowa and South Dakota. But Texas is by far the leading wind producer in the USA, with an impressive 40.05 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity.

03

China produces the most wind energy in the world

Although it’s the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, China also produces the most wind energy in the world – producing around 60 per cent of all wind energy worldwide.

After China, the most significant producers of wind energy are as follows (along with their total installed wind energy capacity to date):

• USA: 150 GW
• Germany: 64 GW
• India: 48 GW
• Spain: 31 GW
• United Kingdom: 30 GW
• Brazil: 29 GW
• France: 22 GW
• Canada: 24 GW
• Italy: 13 GW

04

The biggest wind farm in the world will feature 7,000 turbines

When it’s complete, the Gansu Wind Farm in China will be the biggest in the world, featuring 7,000 wind turbines with a total capacity of 20 GW.

05

The first modern, megawatt-sized turbine was built in 1941

The Smith-Putnam wind turbine was the first modern, megawatt-sized wind turbine. It was built in 1941 in Vermont and ran for 1,100 hours, providing electricity for the local electrical distribution system. Unfortunately, a blade failed at a weak point in the system and wasn’t reinforced due to wartime material shortages.

06

The world’s largest wind turbine has a rotor diameter of an impressive 252 metres (827 feet)

The world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine is the Goldwind GWH252-16MW, with a rotor diameter of 252 metres (827 feet) and a hub height of 146 metres (479 feet). The average rotor diameter in 2022 was over 130 metres (427 feet), which shows just how enormous this turbine is.

07

The most electricity produced by a turbine in a single day was enough to power 170,000 homes

The aforementioned Goldwind turbine achieved the record for most energy produced in a day by a turbine on 1 September 2023. An unbelievable 384.1 megawatt (MW) hours were produced in a single 24-hour span, enough to power nearly 170,000 homes.

This is in comparison to the average 3 MW wind turbine that would produce enough energy to power four homes in 24 hours.

08

Wind is the only energy production method that doesn’t require water

Wind is the only major energy production method that doesn’t require any water, making it even more beneficial to the environment than other sources.

09

Many rural communities in the USA are non-reliant on the grid thanks to personal turbines

In the USA, small businesses, homeowners and farmers sometimes install small wind turbines on their properties to generate power for their premises. While not suitable everywhere, some rural communities are completely non-reliant on the grid due to their personal turbines.

10

The UK is the windiest country in Europe

Around 40 per cent of the total wind on the continent blows around the UK, making it a prime spot for wind turbines.

11

An average wind turbine doesn’t generate electricity all the time

An average wind turbine will only generate around 24 per cent of its maximum output if it’s onshore and 41 per cent if offshore. After all, it’s not always windy, which is partly why wind energy is seen as intermittent.

12

The UK boasts an impressive number of onshore and offshore turbines

There are currently a total of 8,994 onshore and 2,765 offshore wind turbines in the UK.

13

It takes just three to six months for a wind turbine to produce the amount of energy that covers its manufacture, installation, operation, maintenance and decommissioning

During its lifespan, a turbine typically produces around 80 times more energy than is used up in its lifecycle, so it’s certainly an excellent investment.

14

The wind industry still receives far fewer subsidies and less support than fossil fuels

Although government subsidies support wind energy, the industry still receives far less support than fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2011 World Energy Outlook showed that, in 2010, renewables received just $1 from governments for every $6 to $7 given to fossil fuels.

15

The UK has earmarked £54 billion to decommission nuclear power stations, drawing significant funding away from wind

That amount of money could pay for enough wind turbines to meet 40 per cent of the UK’s power demand.

16

On Boxing Day 2020, wind energy supplied 50.67 per cent of the UK’s electricity demand

This impressive figure was due to a huge surge of wind from Storm Bella, which raged across parts of the country and hit wind speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

17

The UK is home to over 2,000 wind farms

A wind farm is a large group of commercial individual wind turbines that are placed in a single area to produce electricity. As of 2023, the UK has over 2,000 wind farms, with a total installed capacity of over 30 GW.

18

Wind turbines are extremely quiet

Believe it or not, a wind turbine produces about the same amount of noise you’d hear from a refrigerator at 50 metres, making it virtually undetectable.

19

Wind power is getting cheaper around the world

As technology gets more sophisticated and efficient, it becomes cheaper to harness the power of wind energy. It’s said that the cost of deploying wind power has dropped by a mind-blowing 90 per cent since the 1980s. Overall, wind power remains one of the cheapest renewable energy options worldwide.

20

Excessive wind speeds can damage wind turbines

It goes without saying that wind turbines can withstand wind impact. But if the wind blows at over 25 m/s (or 90 km an hour), it becomes dangerous for the turbines to operate. So site operators typically shut them down during extreme weather to avoid damage.

21

Wind turbines can be repurposed, and there’s no telling how creative recycling could get

Denmark is leading the way in repurposing wind turbines. The Danish port city of Aalborg has refashioned old blades into bike shelters for cyclists. Although the blades are hard to recycle, they’re also durable, making them ideal bases for bike shelters. Siemens Gamesa is spearheading the initiative, and it’s hoped that it’ll spread to other countries and cities around the world.

22

A wind turbine has as many as 8,000 different components.

Construction firms build wind turbines from roughly 8,000 different components. This includes blades, generators, rotors and smaller parts inside the nacelle. These parts have an operational lifespan of around 25 years, but site operators should perform regular maintenance checks to keep everything running smoothly.

23

An average onshore wind turbine can power more than 1,500 EU households

An average onshore wind turbine with a capacity of 2.5 to3 MW can produce an impressive 6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually. That’s enough energy to supply the electricity to 1,500 average EU households.