Basics

• Most modern wind turbines resemble an airplane propeller mounted on a tall pole. Moving air causes the blades (rotors) to spin, which turns an electrical generator. Electricity reaches the power grid through a system that helps "smooth out" the changes in power generation caused by wind speed changes.
  
  

Size

• Wind turbines range in capacity from 250 W (enough to run five 50 W light bulbs) to 7 MW (10,000 100 W bulbs). The world's most powerful turbine, as of 2009, had a rotor diameter of 413 feet and was capable of producing more than 7 MW of electricity.
  
  

Home Usage

• According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, the average U.S. home used 11,040 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity in 2008. Under average wind conditions, each megawatt of generating capacity puts out 2.4 MW to 3.0 MW of power annually. Based on these figures, a 1 MW turbine can produce enough energy to power 217 to 271 households for a year. A 7 MW turbine could power more than 1,900 households.