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Wind PowerWind power is a renewable energy source that transforms the energy of the wind's motion into electricity.
Wind turbines generate electricity through electromagnetic induction. When air passes across turbine blades, which resemble plane wings, a force of lift is produced, rotating the blades. The blades rotate a gearbox connected to magnets, which create electricity in a generator when spun.
Although wind turbines are limited to windy environments, have higher up-front costs than fossil fuels, and pose some risk to avian wildlife, they accounted for 8.1% of global electricity generation through land-based, offshore, and distributed wind farms in 2024.
As of May 2025, there are 76,051 wind turbines in the US, with the average turbine installed since 2020 producing enough electricity in 46 minutes to power a US home for a month.Explore Wind Power
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Establishing the wind power grid required incentives, reliability, and affordabilityAlthough wind was harnessed to generate electricity for individual buildings in the late 1800s, high costs, mechanical issues with turbines, and better fossil-fuel alternatives delayed wind power's widespread growth. After the oil crises of the 1970s, governments sought alternative energy sources and, in the decades that followed, provided tax credits to expand the wind power market. Tiny MattersExperiment with wind power by building a working wind turbineA guided lesson for teaching students — or adults! — how to build their own windmills. PBS LearningMediaExplore wind power generation across the US with this interactive mapThe USWTDB Viewer lets you discover, visualize, and interact with the USWTDB through a dynamic web mapping application. USWTDBAll clean energy technologies rely heavily on critical mineralsAlthough many of these minerals have been used for decades, such as copper in electrical wiring, the accelerating demand for them has strained existing extraction and processing systems. Supply chain disruptions for these materials may delay and increase the cost of transitioning to solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal power. International Energy AgencyScientists quantify how far from the poles auroras will be visible using the G-scaleThe Geomagnetic Storm scale indicates the expected severity of the deformation of Earth's magnetic field based on the amount of energy injected by the solar wind. Solar activity is monitored using various satellites to forecast these storms, which can also be used to anticipate damage and disruption to power systems, radio communications, and satellite navigation. NOAACoronal mass ejections and solar flares produce the most extensive aurorasThe most intense geomagnetic storms are produced when massive clouds of plasma—ionized gas—are expelled from the sun's upper atmosphere and interact with the Earth's magnetic field. These storms expand where auroras are bright enough to be seen to regions farther from the poles, particularly during peak periods of the sun's 11-year intensity cycle. Kurzgesagt – In a NutshellThe best location to view auroras is within the auroral ovalEarth's magnetic field pushes trapped particles from the solar wind toward the planet's magnetic poles, where they can descend and collide with atmospheric gases in a ring located between 60 and 75 degrees of latitude. Auroras can also be viewed at lower latitudes—the sub-auroral oval and solar storm zones—if the sun produces powerful solar storms. Canadian GeographicThe sun and Earth's liquid outer core help create the northern and southern lightsEarth's magnetosphere, generated by the movement of molten iron deep within the planet, consists of a magnetic field that deflects charged particles north and south. Some of the particles released by the sun in the solar wind become trapped in this field and are propelled toward the poles, where they produce auroras through collisions with atmospheric particles. Be SmartTornado formation relies on wind shear to create a tube of rotating airOnce a horizontal vortex is created by air circulating between winds of different directions and speeds, an updraft, such as those seen in powerful thunderstorms, tilts the vortex vertically. The updraft then strengthens the vortex, which becomes a tornado upon touching the ground. eLearning OntarioExplore tips from the American Red Cross on preparing for a tornadoIf you live in a region prone to tornadoes, have a plan to retreat to a safe room built to withstand strong winds, such as an underground shelter or a windowless room at the lowest level of a study building, in case of a tornado warning. Having a stay-at-home kit with non-perishable food and water, medications, batteries and chargers, and a battery-powered radio is also essential. American Red CrossStretching from Texas to the Dakotas, Tornado Alley is a US tornado hotspotThe region experiences atmospheric instability and extensive wind shear due to the convergence of warm, moist air from the Gulf with cooler, drier air from the Rockies. However, some recent data suggests tornadoes are more frequent and more powerful in the Dixie Valley, which includes much of the lower Mississippi Valley. Stuff You Should KnowData center power demands have delayed the retirement of coal plantsUS data center power consumption is expected to triple by 2035 to meet the growing infrastructure needs of AI platforms. Longer construction times and higher startup costs for renewable energy systems such as wind and solar have led to at least 15 coal power plant closures being postponed. Yale E360Geothermal power plants can provide large-scale energy storage for other systemsThese facilities can store excess energy from solar and wind power as hot water or steam, which can be used to run turbines to generate electricity when other renewable energy sources are unavailable. Simulations have found efficiencies of 90% during a storage-use cycle, making it comparable to lithium-ion batteries. IEEE SpectrumSand 'batteries' can store excess electricity from the power grid as thermal energyEnergy collected from solar or wind power is used to heat insulated silos full of sand to temperatures as high as 450 degrees Celsius (842 degrees Fahrenheit), which can be retained for long periods. These thermal energy storage systems can be designed to boil water and generate electricity when needed. Polar Night EnergyHow Indiana went from all-time loser to a perfect championship seasonason The Indiana Hoosiers at one point in history had the most losses of any college football team going back to the 19th century. In January 2026, the team flipped the script by winning the college football championship over Miami and erasing its losing past for good. Read the history here. ESPNStephen King, Octavia Butler, and Anthony Burgess all grew to regret books they'd publishedSome, like Butler, regretted writing predictable, trope-heavy books. Others, like King and Burgess, regretted that what they'd intended as satire had been misunderstood as endorsements. Literary HubIn medieval France, pigs were once put on trialPigs are omnivorous animals. There are hundreds of records of pigs killing and eating children in medieval Europe. In France, these tragedies often resulted in trials and then hangings. Some pigs were held in jail for years before being executed. Popular ScienceView a photo essay of renewable power landscapes in ChinaUsing a drone, Chinese photographer Weimin Chu captured the deployment of solar and wind power installations across the country, which accounted for half of all global installations in 2025. The images show modern infrastructure juxtaposed with natural landscapes and was featured in an award-winning exhibition presented by Greenpeace in 2025. Yale E360See a timeline of early flights, patent approvals and the birth of the Wright CompanyThe brothers’ most intense period of creativity and progress came between 1901 and 1910, when their work at Kitty Hawk culminated in the first powered flight. The pair, however, were not the most business-savvy, and they struggled to take financial advantage of their pioneering work in the field. The Library of CongressKitty Hawk’s wide space, isolation and winds were ideal for flight experimentsNorth Carolina’s Outer Banks at the turn of the 20th century were not the summer resort destinations they are today. The brothers sought privacy as they toyed with their aviation designs, camping in Kill Devil Hills and using its sand dunes as launch points for early glider designs. National Air and Space MuseumThe sun emits a continuous stream of plasma known as the solar windComposed of charged particles—electrons and ions—the solar wind is deflected around the Earth by the planet's magnetic field. More powerful solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections, are short-lived but produce huge clouds of plasma that disrupt technology upon reaching Earth. The Conversation2025's Nature Photographer of the Year winnersOver 50 beautiful nature photos that are sure to inspire you. PetaPixelAs of 2025, wave power projects remain in early research and testing phasesWaves can become a steady source of renewable energy because they do not pause like wind and solar power do. However, funding gaps and the effects of storms, salt exposure, and biofouling—mussels and other sea creatures attaching to wave machines—have presented challenges in scaling the technology beyond testing sites. Science FridayData centers' electrical needs create increased water demands beyond coolingEach query uses approximately one single-serving water bottle per conversation, but water is also used for steam cycles and cooling in power plants that generate electricity for data centers. Newer cooling methods, such as immersion cooling, where servers are submerged in fluids that don't conduct electricity, can minimize water use. The ConversationMajor White House Renovations Through History: PhotosThe White House has long been a work in progress. HISTORYWind of Change investigates a Cold War rumor linking the CIA to a rock anthemThis hit podcast follows journalist Patrick Radden Keefe as he explores whether the Scorpions’ 1990 power ballad “Wind of Change”—an anthem of the Cold War’s end—was secretly written by the CIA as cultural propaganda. Wind of ChangeWind turbines explainedWind turbines have powered homes since 1887, and today they’re stronger, quieter, and more reliable than ever. Offshore wind could power millions and grow fast enough to meet climate goals.
1440Texas beat USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl to win the national championshipIn a matchup of undefeated powerhouses, Vince Young led Texas to a 41–38 victory over USC—capping what is widely regarded as the greatest college football game in history. ESPN College FootballThe carbon footprint of manufacturing a wind turbine is offset within seven monthsDespite initial carbon emissions during manufacturing, wind turbines generate nearly zero pollution across their 20- to 25-year lifetimes. Offsets occur when turbines replace energy generation from coal and natural gas plants, which emit carbon dioxide. Yale Climate ConnectionsWind farms are targets for conspiracy theories due to their visibility and complexityThe proliferation of misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding wind farms is driven by deep-seated anxieties about change, distrust of government, and resistance to confronting the complexities of modern energy solutions. The ConversationAI's growing energy demands are driving tech companies to consider nuclear powerBig Tech has rebranded nuclear power as a green solution to address the strain on the grid from millions of people using power-hungry AI tools. As of mid-2025, generating one image uses as much electricity as charging the average smartphone, or leaving a household light bulb on for 87 consecutive days. The ConversationWindow collisions and cats kill more birds than wind turbine farmsResearchers are developing solutions to reduce bird fatalities due to wind turbine farms, including radar systems integrating AI to detect birds and shut down systems. Painting blades with various patterns is also being tested, which may reduce bird strikes by 70%. Yale E360Maintenance, curtailment, congestion, and wind speed can park a wind turbineWind turbines are optimized to operate at wind speeds between about 10 and 80 kph, but an internal brake stops them if energy is not required. Routine preventative maintenance and cleaning also prevent blades from rotating. The Indianapolis StarSelection of wind farm sites considers wildlife impacts and wind resource potentialEnvironmental impact studies, wind energy maps, anemometer data, and local, state, and federal regulations factor into wind farm projects, including offshore farms. Wind projects on public lands require additional permitting. US Department of EnergyWind turbines are limited to capturing no more than 59.3% of incoming wind energyIn 1919, German physicist Albert Betz applied the laws of conservation of mass and momentum to airstreams to calculate the theoretical limit. However, real-world turbines only convert 35 to 45% of available wind energy into electricity. Alternative Energy TutorialsCarbon-neutral data centers may be possible if built within wind turbinesWind turbine towers are typically hollow, housing only cables and a ladder for maintenance access. The excess electricity a wind turbine collects could power a stack of server racks more than 100 meters (328 feet) high within its tower. CNNTechnological advancements will make future wind turbines more efficient and quieterManufacturing larger, more powerful turbines will result in future wind farms requiring fewer of them to meet energy demands. Larger turbines will meet these demands while rotating at lower speeds, reducing risks to avian wildlife. US Department of EnergyExplore an interactive graphic of a wind turbine's componentsWind turbines contain a gearbox that increases the rotation of the blades by a factor of 100 from low to high-speed shafts. The latter moves magnets that change the magnetic field within a generator, creating electricity. Energy.govFrom 1990 to 2020, wind turbine height and blade length have more than tripledWind turbines' energy generation capacity—or maximum power rating—also increased by 375% from 1998 to 2023. As of that year, wind turbines can produce more energy per dollar than solar panels, though transportation and installation challenges remain. US Department of EnergyA pottery jar from the Naqada II period is the oldest depiction of a sailboatThe Egyptian artifact, made by the Gerzeh culture from 3650 BCE to 3300 BCE, provides the earliest evidence of humans harnessing wind power in a technological capacity. The British MuseumWind energy is categorized into distributed, land-based, and offshore typesDistributed wind turbines serve on-site energy needs efficiently, while land-based ones are large and generate cost-competitive electricity. Offshore wind turbines capture powerful winds above the ocean and may be pounded into the seafloor using pile drivers. US Department of EnergyWind turbines provide renewable energy from land, lake, or ocean environmentsTurbines convert wind's kinetic energy into mechanical energy, which allows generators to create electricity. They are among the lowest-cost electricity sources and can be built to float above water at scales larger than the Statue of Liberty. National Renewable Energy LaboratoryWeWork held controversial ‘summer camp’ retreats for employeesStep inside one of WeWork’s “summer camp” retreats full of drugs, alcohol, and exorbitant company spending. Business InsiderThe hand-dug 'Big Well' of Greensburg, KansasGreensburg, Kansas, built a 109-feet deep well between 1887 and 1888 and touted it as the world's largest. Men working for 50 cents a day dug the pit with pickaxes and shovels, and its walls were lined with local stone. It was a primary water supply until 1932, and has become a museum and a tourist attraction, one of Kansas' "Eight Wonders." Atlas ObscuraWhat the Declaration actually says and how to see itThis official page from the National Archives breaks down the Declaration of Independence in plain English, explaining its purpose, key ideas, and grievances against King George III. It also shows how the document was created and where it’s displayed today. National ArchivesEugene O'Neill is the lone American playwright to win the Nobel PrizeThe writer was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1936, with the prize committee noting "the power, honesty, and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy." the GuardianThere's a bitcoin mine in remote ZambiaIn Zambia, a small hydropower plant draws water to power a town of 15,000 people—and a bitcoin mine. A shipping container containing 120 computers mining bitcoin—solving complex calculations to win the reward of several bitcoin—was set up near the plant to use its cheap electricity, and share its revenue. BBCAs of 2024, approximately 44% of Americans support frackingThis makes the method less popular than carbon-free forms of energy production, such as solar, wind, and nuclear power, but more popular than coal mining. Support for fracking increased 7% from 2020 to 2024, primarily due to increased support from Republicans and older Americans. Pew Research CenterAmong renewable sources, geothermal rivals hydropower in lifetime costAs of 2024, the levelized cost of energy—the average cost per unit of energy over the lifetime of a power plant—for geothermal power is surpassed only by solar photovoltaic and onshore wind. Geothermal's LCOE has remained relatively unchanged since 2007, with significant decreases held back by significant upfront installation costs. Our World in DataPlay Infinite Craft, an AI software-powered gameIn this browser-based game, users combine the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water to create an infinite number of new elements. Try your best to make as many natural phenomena as you can as you build up to the multiverse. Infinite Craft