100 Interesting Wind Energy Facts (2022 Updated)

Learn the pros and cons of wind energy in the form of interesting facts here

In order to suffice the increasing demand for renewable sources of energy, a large number of facets of the society such as government institutions, manufacturing units, and several other business houses have engrossed in the supply of it. Renewable energy is imperishable and can be revived or re-established for providing power.

There are 5 main types of renewable energy- Solar, wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal energy. Each of them has a unique significance and can be used for multiple purposes. One major advantage of renewable energy resources is that they are available in plenty and are friendly to the environment.

Hence, with the changing times and progress in the scientific field, the demand for nonrenewable energy resources is decreasing due to its perishable nature, whereas, renewable forms of energy are gaining more demand since it ensures a smooth lifestyle without any hindrances. In this article, we are going to gather knowledge about wind energy and learn 100+ amazing and mind-blowing facts about it.

What is Wind Energy?

Wind energy is a form of renewable energy which is derived and curated from solar energy. As we all know, the sun is the pivotal element in our solar system and all living beings are dependent on it, which concludes, all renewable forms of energy are developed from solar power and wind energy is one of its forms.

Wind energy can be used for numerous purposes to ensure an obstacle-free lifestyle. One of the most popular ways of using wind energy is by converting it into electricity through wind turbines. Wind energy does not harm the environment and is also easy on the pocket. Wind energy is generated by using the wind and converting it into power for daily use by living beings. Let us discuss some awesome and less-known facts about wind energy here.

100 Wind Energy Facts and Information

The following are 100 wind power facts and information:

1) The process of utilizing wind energy to generate power has been in practice since 200 BC. Countries like China had been indulging in the process of getting water from wind-powered water pumps since the very dawn of history. In the Middle Eastern countries and Persia, windmills were being used by farmers to grind grains.

2) Wind energy was considered to be a strong navigational tool since 5000 BC. Many famous explorers like Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, and Vasco Nunez de Balboa have used wind energy to identify directions during their overseas expeditions and voyages. Moreover, in ancient history, trades between nations occurred through sea routes where wind served as an important element for the boats to sail along the waterway.

3) Research shows that using wind energy to generate power does not cause the emission of any harmful greenhouse gases, unlike fossil fuels. It is a clean source of energy that does not adversely affect the atmosphere and minimizes pollution. Wind power is a renewable source of energy that is sustainable in nature and, therefore, is eco-friendly.

4) Although wind energy does need heavy investment, it is quite budget-friendly in the long run since the maintenance cost is effectively low. In fact, a study shows that the cost of wind power has drastically dropped since 2009. About 71% of reduction in its cost has been found. Day by day the process of using windmills and wind turbines is becoming more and more economical and cost-effective.

5) With the increasing population, the water demand is also rising. Wind energy saves you from misuse of water. Along with its other unique features, wind energy can function without utilizing any water. One of the most astonishing facts is that researchers have found that approximately 30 trillion bottles of water can be saved by 2030 in The United States alone if the usage of wind energy to solve multiple purposes is maximized.

6) Another significant advantage of wind energy is that a very little quantity of land is required for the installation and operation of wind turbines. This leaves room for other activities, such as farming, irrigation, etc. Therefore, wind turbines ensure optimum utilization of available resources where space is utilized effectively. This creates convenience for the users.

7) Wind turbines are mainly of two different types- horizontal axis and vertical axis. The horizontal one is installed in large wind farms to perform various functions. These ones are placed at an angle of 90°, i.e., right angle, where the cutlass spins vertically. The latter type is used more frequently and commonly in the industry where the blades wheel horizontally. A huge advantage of the vertical axis is that it is quite accessible. The generator and great box are available largely.

8) The wind energy industry is booming with changing times. A significant generation of employment has been created by this industry so far. More than 43 states in the USA have installed windmills and wind turbines which gave employment to more than 100,000 people across the country till now.

9) Another less known fact about wind energy is that windmills and wind turbines work more effectively and provide much more convenience when they are installed in places away from the shore, i.e., offshore installation of windmills yields a better result. However, a major obstacle in setting up wind turbines offshore is that it requires a huge investment for creating faculties and infrastructure.

10) India’s largest wind farm is situated in Jaisalmer which is a district in Rajasthan. Its name is Jaisalmer Wind Park. It was established by Sulzon energy. This wind farm holds significant potential and is being used to serve numerous commercial needs. Various manufacturing, production, transportation, and telecommunication industries also state heavy demands for wind energy. This wind park has, thus, also created jobs for a great number of people in India.

11) The last few years have seen a capricious rise in demand for wind energy. Many countries, states, cities, towns, and even rural areas have installed windmills and wind turbines. According to a survey, the USA has installed more than 60,000 MW of wind turbines till 2012. Even the American government is keen to promote the wind industry.

12) Wind energy can also be used to solve household or domestic problems. Apart from their industrial use, wind turbines can also furnish residences with the required electricity and provide assistance during major blackouts. The utilization of wind power for domestic purposes also ensures that the energy costs are standardized and there is no fluctuation over a period of time.

13) Wind energy creates a positive impact on the economy of rural areas. Setting up windmills and wind turbines in small towns and villages paves the way to commence new businesses. The electricity generated from the wind turbines is supplied to the nearby cities which creates new opportunities among the rural population in terms of jobs and trades.

14) Another less known fact is that China has the biggest onshore wind power plant in the world named Gansu Wind Farm which has the potential of providing 20,000 MW of power as per a survey of 2020.

15) Despite all these major benefits of wind energy, people tend to resent the use of wind turbines as they are supposedly quite noisy. The blades are said to make a high-pitched sound while spinning. Several birds are also said to become victims of the sharp blades. However, the latter point is not entirely correct since in most cases birds tend to die of harsh weather and natural causes.

16) Wind power has quite a lot of potential. 1 MW of wind energy is efficient enough to supply power to more than 250 households.

17) Wind energy is quite coveted in the transportation industry as well. We have already learned that famous explorers used wind as a navigational tool but in modern times, ships and other vessels have kites in them to help them sail along with the wind. This reduces approximately 30% of the fuel consumption. Therefore, many cargo ships companies are increasingly utilizing wind energy to decrease the use of fuel which in turn reduces cost.

18) Windmills have been in use since the very beginning of life. However, advanced and modern wind turbines were first established in Vermont in the USA during the 1940s.

19) Albert Bertz, a German physicist, was the first man on earth to find out about windmills and wind turbine mechanisms. He wrote a book about it. The name of the book is Wind-Energie.

20) Another astonishing fact about wind energy is that by the end of the year 2012, as many as 45,000 windmills and wind turbines were in function. The increasing demand for wind energy has given rise to the installation of more wind turbines over the last few years.

21) A wind turbine consists of about 8,000 parts. In the process of trapping wind and converting it into electricity, a lot of components are required. The rotor, gearbox, generator are some of those. Each of the components has a unique and significant role to play.

22) Wind energy paves the way for various sports activities. The various wind sports are windsurfing which is done by using a mast and a sail, sailing which is a traditional method of entertainment, land sailing which is congenial to sailing but is done on land using a vehicle having wheels, and a sail. Kitesurfing, Kiteboarding, Kite Buggying, etc. are some other popular forms of entertainment or wind sports.

23) Hawaii in the USA contains the largest and biggest wind turbine in the whole world. This wind turbine is enormous in size with lengths of blades that replicate the size of a football ground. It is 20 stores tall.

24) Study shows that the biggest wind turbines in the UK can provide electricity to as many as 600 households to fulfill their domestic needs.

25) Did you know that wind can also be harnessed to run vehicles that operate on land? Apart from using wind energy for sailboats and ships, many cars can also be powered by wind energy. In fact, Australia has powered a car to complete a journey of about 3,100 miles using wind energy. Even though it was not completely powered by wind energy, it still sets an example. Thus, wind energy can be used to make cars function and it reduces cost and pollution.

26) Wind energy can also be utilized to pump out water from the ground. This method has been in practice for ages. It is still much desired and is one of the best ways to utilize wind energy.

27) Its increasing popularity, potential to serve and future prospects have made numerous companies tumble out of the closet to provide direct support or direct involvement in the wind power industry. Even The government bodies of varied states and regions are eager to promote this industry. Some potential companies involved in this industry are Siemens, GE Renewable Energy, Vestas, Invenergy LLC, Avangrid Renewables, etc.

28) Keeping in mind the changes in preferences of people and the rise in demand for wind power, it is expected that by the year 2050, the wind energy industry will be capable enough to produce one-third of the total energy requirements of the entire population. There has been a sudden boom in the wind power industry from the year 2000 to 2006. If it keeps growing this way, the mentioned milestone might be achieved.

29) In 2012, it is estimated that approximately $ 25 billion had been invested in the wind power industry to generate more electricity. Since 1990, the production of electricity through wind power has increased about 15 times. It is said that the wind power industry yields more than $ 10 billion per year.

30) Apart from generating employment, wind farms also provide rental revenue to the rural population where plenty of space is available to set up a wind farm.

31) Germany is the world leader in terms of its potential to install wind energy. Spain is the second most efficient country to have a capacity to set up wind turbines and windmills.

32) China is said to have installed about 29 GW of wind power in 2015 which is considerably higher than 2014 when 21 GW of wind energy was installed.

33) According to a survey, China is found to have installed more than 46% of the total wind power of the world in 2015. That year, the USA set up 8.6 GW of wind energy.

34) Another great fact is that an onshore wind turbine can provide power to and fulfill the requirements of approximately 1,500 homes whereas an offshore wind turbine of 3.6 MW can provide complete satisfaction to more than 3,000 houses. This is supposedly due to the fact that offshore regions receive blustery weather as compared to onshore locations.

35) It is quite interesting that the wind turbines installed in onshore locations have the capacity to provide about 3MW of energy. The cutlass or blades of the turbines are said to be about 50m in width.

36) Albert Bertz stated that about 59% of the kinetic energy of the wind can be transferred to provide power. However, it is found that only 20 to 30% of the wind’s kinetic energy can be converted by a regular wind turbine.

37) Research shows that a big and efficient wind turbine can supply approximately 2 MW of electricity to people.

38) In a report in 2016, the U.S Department of Energy stated that the country produced about 82,000 MW of wind power that year.

39) In 2016, the USA started its first commercial wind power service in Rhode Island and 41 of the total states in the USA were able to provide utility-scale wind power service.

40) In 2016, among other states Oklahoma, Texas, Lowa, Kansas, and California were at the top in the USA to have installed more wind energy.

41) A study shows that in 2016, the number of jobs available in the wind energy industry ameliorated to 32% where a total of more than 1000,000 people were provided jobs in this industry.

42) A regular wind turbine is composed of 3 blades which are 131 feet long and contain durable and sustainable materials such as glass and carbon fibers, polyester, vinyl, and resins.

43) By now, we all know that wind energy eliminates the extraction of harmful gases into the atmosphere. A wind turbine is capable of reducing 125 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from infusing into the air.

44) We have learned that wind energy does not require the utilization of water. A survey conducted in 2014 by the Wind Energy Foundation showed that approximately 68 billion gallons of water could be saved by indulging in the wind power industry and installing more and more wind turbines.

45) In 2011, a report was presented by John Hopkins University which stated that in order to get the best results, the wind farms should maintain a distance of 15 rotors diameter. This way the wind farms serve more convenience to the users and yield more profit.

46) In Spite of all these benefits, a big constraint of wind energy is that windmills and wind turbines can be set up in only those areas which receive abundant wind to convert it into electricity.

47) Wind turbines and windmills do not need a concrete solid base for installations. They can be situated on floating objects and the wind power generated can be transferred to land via cables and underwater wires.

48) In the year 2009, according to a report, the USA is said to have produced 1% of the total electricity supply through wind energy.

49) In 2008, the USA provided 52 billion KW of electricity in total.

50) Smaller wind turbines are capable enough to be utilized as chargers or backups for batteries. They can also be used to supply power to moving vehicles such as caravans.

51) Studies show that in 2019, wind power was able to save 198 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from getting emitted into the atmosphere and, thus, has helped to protect the environment from harmful, toxic, and dangerous gases.

52) While solar energy is the most used form of renewable energy, wind energy is the USA’s most coveted and utilized form of renewable energy. Research shows that almost 7.4% of the total electricity generated in the USA is derived from wind energy.

53) Wind power industry provides jobs to more than 67% of American adept people which is higher than the national average.

54) Wind energy yields a generous tax revenue to the government bodies and other apex institutions. Reports show that the American local and state government generated a total of $ 1.8 billion in tax revenue in recent years.

55) The process of transmitting wind power to electricity grids is not even that complicated. The wind gets tapped by wind turbines set in wind farms which turn its kinetic energy to produce electricity. The power, thus, generated is transferred to the main electricity grid and from there it gets converted into electricity and reaches people for commercial and domestic uses. Therefore, wind energy is quite reliable.

56) A report states that contrary to the popular belief that wind turbines are hazardous to health, about 95% of the total number of people who work in or live near a wind turbine give optimistic or neutral opinions.

57) We are all aware of the enormous size of the Sydney opera house. It is found that a quintessential wind turbine has the same height as the Sydney opera house, i.e, about 60 meters. In fact, if we add up the long blades or cutlass, it can even be up to 80 to 90 meters in height.

58) By now, we all have become aware of the job-creating power of the wind industry. The wind industry does not only provide work to daily workers but also contains high-profile jobs and needs managerial and highly educated persons. Some examples of highly qualified jobs of the wind industry are engineers, technicians, managers and managerial staff, administrators, and an entire support crew.

59) If we look at the cost of wind energy, it has been reduced by almost 90% since 1980. Thus, it is getting cheaper with changing times.

60) Wind energy is so affordable that it is available at 2 to 4 cents per kilowatt every hour.

61) Offshore wind turbines are quite tall in size to trap wind. Note that an offshore wind turbine can be as high as the Washington Monument.

62) An interesting fact is that wind turbines based on land get more breeze during nights when electricity is not much coveted.

63) In the case of wind turbines that are situated far away in the sea, the weather is more blustery during the daytime when the requirement for electricity is at its peak.

64) In the USA, approximately 80% of the total requirement of wind energy is generated in the coastal regions or along the seashore.

65) One of the USA’s biggest wind energy farms is found in Texas named Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center. This place contains above 400 wind turbines covering an area of about 47,000 acres of land.

66) A wind turbine can be as high as the Statue of liberty in the USA, i.e, its size can be more than 328 feet tall.

67) A typical quintessential wind turbine has blades as long as 260 feet. However, the modern and more advanced, and technologically developed wind turbines consist of blades spreading above 300 feet in length.

68) Did you know those wind turbines that are taller in size are more preferable? This is due to the fact that wind turbines that stand taller receive more wind which in turn speeds up the process of converting wind power into electricity.

69) A report presents that the number of wind turbines installed in the USA is more than 500 which has the ability to provide employment to more than 73,000 people all over the country.

70) In order to get access to a personal wind turbine, you do not need to own an enormous amount of land. A small wind turbine can be installed in your garden or the backyard of your home to be able to provide power to your house.

71) Since the year 2000, the production rate of wind energy has increased by 25 times.

72) It is found that in 2015, the USA made efforts to decrease 12.3 gigatons of greenhouse gases from getting infused into the environment by increasing the volume of wind power production.

73) The USA also made attempts to reduce the consumption of 260 billion gallons of water by incrementing the utilization of wind energy.

74) We have already learned how a wind turbine can produce noise. However, with the improved technology and mechanisms, it is found that modern and advanced wind turbines produce less noise than a car. The sound produced by a wind turbine depends on the movement of the cutlass or blades and, hence, is influenced by the speed of the wind and the amount of wind received. In some cases, the noise of the wind turbines is exaggerated and often misinterpreted.

75) Another popular myth about wind energy is that it can harm the electricity grid which might lead to poor service and more blackouts. Various reports claim that this is not true and is absolutely baseless. The entire process of transmitting wind energy to the electricity grids is always monitored by professionals and experts. If any imbalance takes place, it is immediately informed to the concerned authorities. Moreover, weather forecasts always tend to predict the amount of wind received by the wind turbines, hence, the entire system of converting wind energy into electricity becomes more efficient and productive.

76) Despite the popularity of solar energy, the wind energy industry is at the top of the renewable energy market and the number of installations of wind turbines is increasing day by day.

77) There has been significant growth in the number of installations of wind turbines since 2007 when barely 100 GW of wind power was utilized whereas today, we use 540 GW of wind energy.

78) In Europe, Uk is the leader in the offshore wind energy industry.

79) For the offshore wind turbines, only 1.1 GW of wind energy was utilized by the world in 2007 whereas today, the demand has surpassed almost 19GW.

80) Dogger Bank is the biggest offshore wind farm in the world.

81) Another exotic fact is that wind energy can be stored through various means such as compressed air storage, battery storage, hydrogen fuel cells, pumped storage, etc.

82) Wind energy has become so popular that it is now the largest source of renewable energy in the USA.

83) Most good wind farms are located in rural regions away from the cities where electricity is required.

84) To know the speed of the wind and its path, the installation of windsocks is preferable.

85) Apart from its technical uses, wind energy is used for various domestic purposes such as drying out wet clothes, getting relief in cool air from the scorching summer heat, etc.

86) The direction, pressure, and speed of the wind also impact landscapes. Wind energy gives shapes to landforms which are called Aeolian Landforms.

87) Modern and developed wind turbines can be defined on the basis of the place where they are situated such as Land-based, offshore, and distributed wind.

88) According to studies, around 681,000 birds pass away every year due to wind turbines.

89) There are 5 different types of winds namely, planetary wind, trade wind, westerlies, periodic and local winds which have their own unique significance.

90)1 MW of wind energy has the potential to eliminate around 2,600 tons of carbon dioxide.

91) In order to promote the wind energy industry, government institutions of many states provide incentives and tax reductions to those who indulge in this industry.

92) In order to attain a pollution-free world and reduce the level of global warming, Nova Scotia has set up an aim of generating 80% of renewable energy of the total energy required by 2030.

93) Italy has selected Nordex to produce 55 MW of wind turbines for various wind energy projects.

94) The wind energy industry is becoming so popular that big corporations like ENI are entering the wind power market in order to expand it.

95) Researchers of URI have been allotted a federal grant of $ 1.2 million and have been given a fellowship in order to expand people’s knowledge and create a report about offshore wind turbines that are floating.

96) Spain has set up a target of installing 1 – 3 GW of floating wind turbines by the year 2030.

97) Re-establishing and renovating India’s some of the top wind farms can increase India’s wind energy potential by almost 30 GW.

98) In 2017, a total of 15,680 MW of wind energy was installed in Europe which marked the development of 55%.

99) Fântânele-Cogealac Wind Farm is the biggest wind farm in Europe which is situated in Romania. It is an onshore wind farm.

100) We are already aware of the job-creating ability of the wind energy industry. Its growing popularity and demand have led experts to speculate that by 2025, more than 3.3 million new jobs will be available in this industry.

Bonus wind energy facts

101) A recent report has let out the news of Australia building the largest renewable energy port on its western side.

102) Germany has chosen Vestas wind turbines for a commercial project where no subsidy will be required.

Editor’s Note

Wind energy is one of the main forms of renewable energy that will fulfill your needs and aspirations without burning a hole in your pocket. Wind power has the ability to satisfy all human beings without emitting any harmful pollutants into the environment. These were some of the interesting facts about wind energy that will absolutely blow your mind. This article has been prepared after thorough research, hence, can be trusted by the readers. We hope it was helpful and you found it knowledgeable.

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