What is Wind?

The Earth is surrounded by air, which is made up of a mixture of gas, liquid particles and solids. Cold air contains more air particles than that of warm air, causing it to sink through the atmosphere, which in turn creates areas of high pressure. Warm air rises through the atmosphere and creates areas of low pressure. The air tries to balance out the areas of high and low pressure, and this movement of air is known as wind.

What is a Wind Turbine?

A Wind Turbine is a machine that is made up of a foundation, a tower, a nacelle and a rotor. It is used to convert kinetic energy into mechanical or electrical energy. Please refer to the below image as to how a Wind Turbine looks like.

wind turbine diagram

Nacelles contain the primary parts of a Wind Turbine, such as the gearbox, axle, transformer, generator and control system. Rotors are made up of the blades and the hub, which holds the blades in the position that they will turn. In general, most commercial wind turbines have 3 rotor blades (as demonstrated in the diagram above).

Want to learn a little more about Wind Turbines? Take a look at the following interactive diagram below, courteousy of European Energy Association.

Refer to our Frequently Asked Questions to learn about Wind Turbines in Depth!