What is wind energy?

Wind energy is the kinetic energy that is found in moving air.

Like all forms of energy, wind energy is created as a result of the sun. Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the surface and the atmosphere by the sun. The sun heats land and water, and the heat from those areas is absorbed by the surrounding air. When the air reaches a certain temperature, it begins to quickly rise upwards. This results in a low pressure area at ground level and a higher pressure area above. Air naturally moves from high pressure zones to low pressure zones. This movement causes wind.

The amount of potential wind energy depends on wind speeds (the faster the wind blows, the more energy can be produced) but also other factors like altitude (wind speeds increase with height above the ground), location, air temperature and surface features. The best places for good winds are often in coastal areas, open plains, at the tops of hills and in gaps in mountains.

People have used wind energy for more than 2,000 years. Historically, wind energy was used to propel ships, pump water and grind grains. Today it is more common to see large wind turbines being used for commercial electricity production.