Small Wind

Introduction Harvesting the Wind

Wind energy has been used for thousands of years to power boats and later to pump water and grind grain. Wind turbine development continued through the years with new and larger systems developed as computer and sensor technology advanced, allowing machines to operate reliably over long periods of time. The output of a wind turbine is determined by the size of the rotor and the strength of the wind resource. The basic relationship between wind speed and power is provided. Small increases in wind speed allow wind turbines to double or triple their energy output.

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