21 Interesting Facts About Wind Energy

Wind Energy Is The Most Popular Alternative Energy

As turbine blades are spun by air flow, the turbines convert the potential energy in the air into the electricity we use to power our homes and businesses. Wind energy is one of the most popular forms of alternative energy and accounts for most new energy plants built in the last year.

With their increasing popularity and the rise of offshore wind farming, wind energy is going to play a key component in the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. To help you understand the benefits of wind energy, here are 21 things you probably didn’t know:

1. Wind energy was first developed with windmills in 200 BC in Persia and China.
2. Wind energy was then used for hundreds of years to pump water and crush grain. People also used sails on sail boats as a form of wind power.
3. The first modern turbine was built in Vermont in the 1940s.
4. Turbine towers normally stand over 328 ft tall. That’s taller than the statue of liberty.
5. Each turbine blade is normally 260 ft long.
6. Newer, more advanced turbine blades are extending over 300 feet.
7. The largest turbine created is located in Hawaii. It is twenty stories tall and each blade is the length of a football field.
8. Wind energy is the only form of alternative energy that doesn’t require water.
9. Turbines are getting taller to reach faster, more constant winds higher in the atmosphere. The higher you go the faster the winds and the more energy that can be produced!
10. The US Energy Department provides a wind resource map that shows average wind speeds and potential wind energy capacity if you want to install a wind turbine in your area.
11. The US has over 500 wind turbine manufacturing plants that produce a majority of our turbines and employ 73,000 people.
12. There are wind turbines in over 38 states.
13. Potential offshore wind turbines have the capacity to produce four times more electricity than the US electrical grid can accommodate. This makes offshore wind energy a great solution for densely populated coastal cities.
14. China produces the most wind energy in the world. The United States closely follows as the second largest wind energy producer.
15. Wind energy accounts for more than a third of all newly installed US electricity generators.
16. A single commercial turbine can power 600 homes.
17. One small turbine in your backyard could power your home.
18. In 2014, enough wind energy was produced to power more than 17.5 US homes annually. Thats every home in Alaska, California, Delaware, DC, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont combined.
19. That’s also 25 times more energy than was being produced by wind turbines in 2000.
20. Wind energy is extremely affordable. In 2014 wind energy was being sold for as low as 2.35 cents.
21. In 2015, the United States planned to reduce 12.3 gigatons of greenhouse gases and save 260 billion gallons of water by increasing the use of wind energy to power homes, schools, and businesses.

How To Use Wind Energy To Power Your Home

Switching to renewable energy energy is easy. You could install or solar panel for solar energy on your roof or a wind turbine in your backyard, but we make the switch even easier. Simply request a quote. We’ll provide you with our energy platform, let you choose your low fixed cost, and help you save on your electrical bill. Once you compare our low price protected fixed rate to your current, unpredictable energy bill, you’ll see how saving the planet can also save your wallet.

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