Welcome to the wind energy section of the ecoteens website. We will start off by giving a refresher course on what wind is and how it is caused. All wind is is moving air which is cause by uneven heating of the earths surface. During the day the air over the land heats up more quickly then over the ocean. Then when it is heated up the hot air moves up into the sky. And the cooler ocean air moves in the take the place of the air that moved up. Which then causes wind and the same happens at night but only opposite.

Now on how the wind energy is collected. The wind machine collects the kinetic energy of the wind using its blades. Which means that the blades are spun with the wind. Then as the blades are turned a drive shaft spins a generator that creates energy. A drive shaft is just like a giant pole. The average wind mill is about 20 stories tall an the blades are around 200 feet long. Although windmills have been around for years only in the last 30 to 20 years has it been considered to be a energy source. To the bottom is an image of a wind turbine.