WHY WIND WORKS...

Wind energy has been utilized for thousands of years to power our ships, to pump water from wells, and to dry our hair after a shower. This energy originates from the sun, and is a result of uneven heating of the earth's surfaces. As the air moves from higher pressure to lower pressure areas it carries energy (a function of the density of air and its velocity). Modern wind turbines convert the wind's energy into electrical energy when the spinning blades turn a generator and create electricity. Modern wind turbine generators have been designed to more efficiently harness this energy, and they last for decades with minimal maintenance.

System sizes for wind turbines range from 1 kW ('kilowatt' = 1000 watts, a measure of power) to 6 MW ('megawatt' = 1 million watts) per turbine, and wind farms are designed at tens or hundreds of MW. Located properly, any system large or small creates energy which can light our houses and businesses, run our computers, power our factories, and soon fuel our cars. The source of this energy is free, the only cost comes in capturing it.
Owners of wind turbines and consumers of wind energy are seeing prices drop continuously. System designs are become more efficient, manufacturing processes are becoming more streamlined, and the market forces are pressuring companies to price their products more competitively. As a result, the cost per watt has been decreasing each year, and we can all be the beneficiaries of clean, inexpensive energy.