FAQ
How much electricity does one wind turbine make?
A modern onshore turbine of 3 to 4 MW at a typical 35 percent capacity factor powers roughly 2,000 to 3,000 European homes. The newest offshore machines of 14 to 15 MW can supply more than 10,000 homes each at good sites.
What is a capacity factor and why does it matter?
Capacity factor is actual output divided by theoretical maximum output over a year. Good onshore farms run near 35 percent, the best offshore near 50, and exceptional sites like Tararua in New Zealand near 45 onshore. Higher factors mean steadier, cheaper power from the same hardware.
Do wind farms harm birds and bats?
Collisions do occur, and badly sited old farms like Altamont Pass killed raptors at rates that reshaped siting rules. Modern practice avoids migration corridors, uses fewer larger slower turbines, and can curtail during bat activity. Per unit of energy, studies generally find wind far below cats, buildings and vehicles as a bird mortality cause, and offshore monitoring keeps improving.
How deep can offshore wind go?
Fixed foundations such as monopiles and jackets work to about 60 meters of sea depth. Beyond that, floating platforms moored by chains, spar buoys, semi submersibles or tension legs, take over, opening waters off Japan, California, Norway and Scotland where the sea plunges deep near shore.
How long do wind turbines last and what happens after?
Turbines are typically designed for 20 to 25 years, and many life-extended beyond that. At the end they are either repowered with new machines or decommissioned. Steel and copper recycle well, and blade recycling into cement kiln fuel and composite materials has scaled up after early criticism of landfilling.
Why are offshore wind farms so much bigger than onshore ones?
Sea winds blow harder and steadier, transport of very long blades is easier by ship than by road, and consenting large projects far from shore concentrates infrastructure. Offshore machines therefore reach 15 MW while onshore transport limits keep typical units near 3 to 6 MW.