Statistics

Global wind generation has increased by a factor of 75. This went from 7.5 gigawatts in 1997 to around 564 gigawatts in 2018. Wind electricity production doubled between 2009 and 2013. In 2016 wind energy made up 16% of the electricity of all renewable energy. In the 1830s engineers were trying to use the newly made generators to harness wind and make energy out of it. Wind power generation was first seen in the U.K. and the U.S. in 1887 and 1888. Wind is used to make electricity using kinetic energy which is made by the air in motion. First, wind hits a turbine’s blade which causes the blades to rotate and make the turbine connected to them turn (IRENA).

This changes the kinetic energy to rotational energy, by moving a shaft that is connected to a generator. This produces electrical energy through electromagnetism. The amount of power that a wind turbines can produce all depends on the size of the turbine and its blades. It also depends on the wind. When the turbine's speed doubles, wind power can increase by a factor of 8. In the 1980s turbines had a rated capacity of 0.05 megawatts and a rotor diameter of 15 meters. Today's turbines have capacities of 2.5 megawatts on land and 3-5 megawatts offshore. Some of the biggest turbines have had up to 8 megawatts of capacity and a diameter around 165 meters (IRENA).

In 2022 Iowa has recorded over 3,200 wind turbines across 32 counties in the state. This wind turbines generate over 7,300 megawatts of electricity. That is enough electricity to power 2.3 million homes. Iowa has invested almost 14 billion dollars into clean, renewable energy since 2004. Mid-American owns about 6% of all the wind capacity in the whole country. A wind turbine blade can spin up to speeds of 200mph (MidAmerican Energy Company).

Since it can get really windy the turbines can automatically shut off if the wind speeds are too fast. They do this to prevent damage from the turbines and the surrounding area. Some of the first turbines to ever appear in Iowa were around 233 feet tall. The turbines they are putting in place nowadays can be almost 600 feet tall. The taller the tower the bigger blades it can support. The bigger the blade the more electricity it can generate and send out to millions of homes (MidAmerican Energy Company). Read more about wind turbines here.

A heat wave in Texas was one of the worst they have seen which caused them to set new electricity demands. They used over 75 gigawatts which broke the 2019 record. Wind and solar power produced 27 gigawatts of that 75 gigawatts the state needed. Wind, solar and nuclear power produced about 38% of Texas electricity in 2021. Wind and solar power have helped Texas make it through these heat waves, and they have also helped keeping costs low. Natural gas and coal prices have increased due to the worldwide race for enough energy. Texas generates the most wind in all the country. Solar power produced 4% of Texas electricity last year and is expected to grow more in these upcoming years (Nilsen).

There are windmills with a turning diameter of over two American footballs fields long. Later models of windmills will be bigger than any building on the mainland of Western Europe. In the future a single turbine will be able to make 13 megawatts of power. To put that into perspective the windmill will be able to light 12,000 homes. It will produce thrust equal to 4 747 Boeing jets. Offshore turbines make up 5% of the overall wind industry. Larger turbines produce more electricity than smaller turbines which helps bring in better revenue. The size of these machines also helps reduce the costs. GE Renewable Energy is investing over 400 million dollars in designs and hiring engineers (Reed).

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