Skip to main content

How do wind turbines work? - Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor

  • 715,961 Views
  • 23,222 Questions Answered
  • TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Every 24 hours, wind generates enough kinetic energy to produce roughly 35 times more electricity than humanity uses each day. And unlike coal or oil, this resource is totally renewed each day. So how can we harness this incredible amount of energy, and is it possible to create a world powered entirely by wind? Rebecca Barthelmie and Sara Pryor dig into the science of wind turbine technology.


Customize this lesson139

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Rebecca J. Barthelmie, Sara C. Pryor
  • Director Gavin Edwards
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Wind energy is a really important contributor to developing our low-carbon future. Get the free book or watch the video to learn more. Explore the science of wind energy and where wind farms are in the US. To look at European side and see how many wind turbines were operating day by day in Europe, visit Wind Europe. If you love wind energy maps and data and statistics and reports then find out more here. Want to have a go at building your own wind turbines? Learn more with TRYEngineering. To dive more into the world of wind turbines, take a virtual tour of a wind farm here or try climbing a wind turbine here.
1 Guided Discussion
4 Open Discussions
TED-Ed
Lesson Creator
New York, NY
Where are wind turbines deployed now in the USA and where are the best places to put wind turbines?
See current maps of wind turbines operating in the US are here and compare with maps of solar power plants found here. Explore the wind energy resource maps of the US to see where it is windy and interactive maps from the US census bureau to see where we want to use electricity.
01/26/2021 • 
 70 Responses
 / 70 Updates
View discussion

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Rebecca J. Barthelmie, Sara C. Pryor
  • Director Gavin Edwards
  • Narrator Alexandra Panzer
  • Music Stephen LaRosa
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam

More from How Things Work