/WIND TECHNOLOGY
What is wind energy and how is it generated?
Wind energy is a source of renewable energy that harnesses the kinetic energy of the wind or, in other words, of the air in movement. Once it is transformed into mechanical energy, wind energy can be used for various applications (windmills to pump water or grind cereals). The most common use nowadays is to generate electricity using wind turbines.
Wind energy has its origin in the sun, which heats the Earth’s surface in a non-uniform manner. This gives rise to areas of greater solar impact, where the air heats up and rises (forming a nucleus of low pressures), while cold air remains at a lower altitude (high pressures).
This difference in pressure and the subsequent movement of air masses (from high to low pressures) is what gives rise to wind. Wind as a resource is also influenced by local factors, such as land elevation and orography.
Despite the fact that only about 2% of solar radiation is transformed into wind, it is estimated that 35% of that quantity dissipates into the atmosphere, and only a third of the remaining quantity becomes wind. This quantity would, even so, be able to cover most of the world’s energy needs.