Wind turbines work on the same principle that allows airplanes to fly. The wind doesn’t push the blades, but passes over them. The resulting pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces creates lift, which causes the rotor to turn.

As the blades of a wind turbine turn, the kinetic energy of the wind is converted into mechanical energy, which is transmitted through a drive shaft to an electrical generator in the nacelle. The resulting electrical current travels via underground cables to a substation, where it is converted to a higher voltage for the larger electricity transmission or distribution grid. From there, it’s delivered to the electric utility and customers.

Find out how a wind turbine works by using the Harness the Power of Wind interactive image at windfacts.ca/why-wind-works.

• The blades typically start to turn when the wind speed reaches approximately 13 km/h and shut down when the winds become too strong, usually around 90 km/h. That operating range means wind turbines produce electricity approximately 85 per cent of the time. How much they generate at any given point depends on the wind speed.
• Wind farms are designed to last 25 years or longer and modern turbines require very little maintenance.
• Often at the end of their life, wind turbines are “re-powered”, which involves replacing older equipment with newer technology; the re-powered wind farm will then last another 20 -25 years after that.

How much CO2 do wind turbines save?

Wind turbines use the energy from the moving air to generate electricity. A modern 2.5 MW wind turbine in a typical location will displace approximately 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year from other electricity sources in Nova Scotia, where each kWh of electricity produces almost 0.7 kg of CO2 equivalent

Do wind turbines really save energy?

It takes only three to six months for a wind turbine to produce as much energy as is required to build the wind turbine, maintain and operate it for 20 years, dismantle it and recycle the components.