Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy (public domain)
How wind turbines work
Wind turbines use blades to collect the wind’s kinetic energy. Wind flows over the blades creating lift (similar to the effect on airplane wings), which causes the blades to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator, which produces the electricity.
Electricity generation with wind
In 2017, wind turbines in the United States were the source of nearly 6.3% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation.
The amount of electricity generated from wind has grown significantly since 2000. Electricity generation from wind in the United States increased from about 6 billion kilowatthours (kWh) in 2000 to about 254 billion kWh in 2017.
New technologies have decreased the cost of producing electricity from wind, and growth in wind power has been encouraged by government and industry incentives.