Technology Facts

Wind energy is the process of using the wind to generate mechanical power or electricity. In the past, windmills were used to grind grain or pump water; wind turbines today convert mechanical power into electricity for homes and businesses. With today’s technology, wind energy could provide 20% of America’s electricity.

Today’s wind turbines are very different from the windmills of the past. Modern wind technology takes advantage of advances in materials, engineering, electronics and aerodynamics.

As one of the leading developers of wind projects in the United States, Cielo utilizes only the most technologically advanced turbines in the business. The quirks of older turbines made wind power highly undependable; however, today’s turbines are efficient and dependable, even quiet.

Modern turbines typically begin generating power at wind speeds of 9 miles per hour (mph) and output increases up to 28 mph. Utility scale wind farms need average wind speeds of at least 14 mph to economically convert wind energy into electricity. Today’s turbines maximize energy output by adjusting to different wind speeds. In dangerously high winds, turbines shut off automatically.

As the wind blows, the blades on the wind turbine turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. On a modern wind farm, this electricity is fed into the local utility grid and distributed to customers just as it is with conventional power plants.

A Mitsubishi 1 MW Turbine Tower Height: 226 feet Blade Length: 88 feet Rotor Diameter: 184 feet Swept Area: 8,070 feet Turbine Weight: 208-250 tons Voltage: 660 V Blades: Glass fiber reinforced epoxy Tower: Tubular structure Depending on site conditions, a one megawatt turbine will power approximately 350 average homes.

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