How they work
Wind turbines harness the wind's energy to generate electricity. Here, in short, is how they do it:

1. The wind passes over the blades and makes them turn (kinetic energy)

2. The blades turn a shaft within the nacelle (the box at the top of the turbine)

3. Traditionally, the shaft connects to a gear box which increases the rotational speed enough for the generator. However, some turbines, including the Enercon E70s that we have just installed at our wind farm in Delabole, utilise a direct drive, gearless technology. You can read more about this here.

4. The generator then converts the rotational energy into electrical energy.

5. The power output then goes into an inverter which converts the DC (direct current) electricity coming out of the generator into AC (alternating current) electricity.

6. A transformer is used to convert the electricity to the right voltage for the local distribution network, typically 11,000 V - 33,000 V.

7. The electricity is then exported to the local electricity grid or can be used on site.