Genre: Information/Explanation

Wind energy is abundant , inexhaustible , widely distributed , clean , and mitigates the greenhouse effect . It is estimated that 3 % of the energy from the Sun that hits the earth is converted into wind energy . This is about 50 to 100 times more energy than is converted into biomass by all the plants on Earth through photosynthesis . Most of this wind energy can be found at high altitudes , however there is still sufficiently high energy at ground levels to be useful . In 2005 , worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 58,982 MW , their production making up less than 1 % of worldwide electricity use . Although still a relatively minor source of electricity , wind power generation has more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2005 . Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity by converting the rotation of turbine blades into electrical current by means of an electrical generator . In more traditional windmills wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work , such as crushing grain or pumping water . Wind power is used in large-scale wind farms for national electrical grids as well as in small individual turbines for providing electricity in isolated locations . It is helpful to understand some background information about wind power as a renewable energy resource .