How do windmills make electricity?
1 Answer
The kinetic energy of the air molecules hitting the fan blades are turned into electrical energy.
Explanation:
According to this booklet in table 8.1 the power output of a wind turbine is given by:
This looks very similar to something else...
The formula for kinetic energy.
This is because the wind turbine is based on using kinetic energy. A wind turbine's energy output is determined by how many air molecules are hitting it at a given instance and with what speed- their kinetic energy. The kinetic energy of the air molecules is transferred to the turbine blades, which gives the blades kinetic energy. In turn, they transfer their kinetic energy to a generator or alike, which can produce electrical energy.