Wind Turbines-Introduction

Wind turbines are designed to convert available wind energy into electricity. Since the 1880’s, windmills have been used to generate electricity, primarily in the rural U.S. (they were the first wind turbines). Contrasted with their rural counterparts, however, today’s modern wind turbine has the appearance of a highly-engineered system for the efficient generation of renewable electrical power.

Modern wind turbines can be classified into two types: (1) Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT’s), and (2) Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT’s). This classification is based on the axis about which the turbine rotates. Turbines that rotate around a horizontal axis are more common, while vertical axis turbines are used less frequently.

To learn more about wind turbines and other wind-related topics, please visit Wind Turbine Design.