Critics of wind energy often claim that the energy used to construct a wind turbine outweighs the energy produced during its lifetime in operation. This is not correct. ... The Guardian's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. read more
If a propeller can make a turbine turn- remember what a turbine is- a turbine is a finely tuned machine that can translate mechanical energy to an electrical device, that must also be turning. Friction, friction, friction. read more
The chart shows that the larger the wind turbine, the greater the energy and environmental payback. At present, GE and other are working at the 4.5 MW and 6 MW scale. The largest turbine in the comparison is 800 KW, much smaller than current scale, so we will expect that even larger wind turbines will have even better ratios. read more
Most of the energy loss is in the turbine itself converting the energy of the wind to energy to turn the shaft. From the turning shaft to the generator terminals, the efficiency may be as much as 70%. read more