Genre: Information/Explanation

The wind has great power as we have all experienced on particularly windy days . It can be very destructive , ripping off roofs and toppling trees , as during hurricanes and storms . But this power can be harnessed more benevolently to generate electricity . Wind turbines use the power in the wind to drive large aerodynamic blades , similar to helicopter blades , these blades turn a generator , which generates electricity . The amount of electricity generated is related to the strength of the wind , so the stronger the wind the more electricity is generated . Wind is a clean form of electricity generation , it requires no fuel at all . So once a wind generator is operational it has very low running costs . There are draw backs , the wind does not blow all of the time , so sometimes it is not possible to generate . This intermittency of electricity supply means that there has to be a backup electricity generation capacity in the system . Wind can be used at small as well as large scale and can be sited almost anywhere , depending upon the size of the installation . Larger turbines do require open space with uninterrupted wind , but small turbines can be roof mounted or placed near a building . Large scale wind can generate at close to current market price for electricity and is cheaper than some conventional fuels .