The energy in the wind can be harnessed to produce electricity using wind turbines. Power output depends on the installed capacity and the wind speed. Modern commercial wind turbines range from around 500 kW to 7.5 MW of rated power, although turbines with rated output of 1.5 to 3 MW have become the most common for commercial use.

Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore and exposed sites are preferred locations for wind farms. Typical capacity factors range from 20-40%, with values at the upper end of the range in particularly favourable sites.

There has been a very rapid expansion of wind power from the year 2000 onwards, initially in Europe and the US, with the a lot of momentum now also coming from China and India. Within the ‘new renewables’ group (excluding hydro and biomass), wind power has the largest share in electricity generation.

 

Read more:

, Global Wind Energy Council, 2016

Next Generation Wind and Solar Power, IEA 2016

, European Wind Energy Association, August 2015

Technology Roadmap: How2Guide for Wind Energy Roadmap – IEA (2014)