Interesting Wind Power Facts

With the increasing concerns about energy costs, climate change, and natural resource depletion, interest in utilizing wind power to generate electricity continues to rise. Here are some interesting facts about wind power...

1. The first power generating turbine was constructed in Ohio during the late eighteen-hundreds. According to windpower.org, it had one-hundred and forty-four blades, and was used to charge batteries.

2. Small turbines can be purchased online for under $800 dollars. They are also frequently listed at online auction websites, along with other electricity-generation related equipment and parts.

3. Power produced by wind was the only renewable energy type in the United States for which consumption increased from 2000 to 2001. According to PBS.org, it steadily increased starting in 1998, after a reduction in 1997.

4. This type of power works much the same way as a dynamo, such as a radio with a hand-crank for charging its battery. Instead of a hand turning the dynamo to generate electricity, the wind turns it.

5. A Canadian company has developed a street light which is powered with a battery charged by both a small turbine and a solar panel. According to ecofriend.org, it requires very little maintenance.

6. As of Dec. 2006, Germany far outranks the other European countries in this type of power generation. According to the European Wind Energy Association, Spain ranks second and Denmark third. Romania and Slovakia produce very little.

7. Turbines have a maximum speed they are capable of deriving power from; for example, a 150MPH gust wouldn't release a massive surge of electricity, it would create the same amount of energy as wind at the maximum rate does.

8. Canada's wind power production capacity is almost nineteen-hundred megawatts (Source: Canada Wind Energy Association), which is greater than that of France and nearly equivalent to the U.K.

To learn some more facts about how this type of energy is being used in Germany, have a look at the YouTube video below.

Sources For Facts 1, 3, 5-6, 8:

1. DWIA, http://www.windpower.org/en/pictures/index.htm

2. EWEA, http://www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publications/statistics/070129_Wind_map_2006.pdf

3. PBS, http://www.pbs.org/now/science/wind2.html

4. EcoFriend, http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/hybridyne-powers-new-streetlights-using-sun-and-wind/

5. CWEA, http://www.canwea.ca/wind_energy_industry.cfm