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Wind Power Gallery

Images courtesy PIX. The Photographic Information eXchange (PIX) collection consists of renewable energy and energy efficiency technology photographs. The collection was developed and is maintained for the Department of Energy (DOE) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. PIX is part of NREL's Information Clearinghouse (NICH).

Text Courtesy EERE

<< 4/12 < > A blade acts much like an airplane wing. When the wind blows, a pocket of low-pressure air forms on the downwind side of the blade. The low-pressure air pocket then pulls the blade toward it, causing the rotor to turn. This is called lift. The force of the lift is actually much stronger than the wind's force against the front side of the blade, which is called drag. The combination of lift and drag causes the rotor to spin like a propeller, and the turning shaft spins a generator to make electricity.

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