what is wind power used for?
Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications, or they can be connected to a utility power grid or even combined with a photovoltaic (solar cell) system. For utility-scale sources of wind energy, a large number of wind turbines are usually built close together to form awind plant. Several electricity providers today use wind plants to supply power to their customers. Stand-alone wind turbines are typically used for water pumping or communications. However, homeowners, farmers, and ranchers in windy areas can also use wind turbines as a way to cut their electric bills.
What Is Wind Energy? Wind is simply air in motion. Winds are created by the sun's uneven heating of the atmosphere in combination with the irregular surface of the earth and the earth's rotation. These winds can be harvested using wind turbines and used to make electricity. The force of the wind makes the wind turbine blades spin, and the energy of this motion is converted into electricity by a generator. See a brief wind turbine animation on DOE's Energy Basics Web site. Wind energy is a free, renewable resource. Its use does not affect its future supply. How Can We Use Energy from the Wind? Wind turbines can convert the energy in the wind into mechanical power that can be used for a variety of activities like pumping water. Wind turbines can also use generators to convert wind energy into electricity.