Wind is a free, infinite, and natural fuel source. As an element of nature, it blows faster or slower depending on factors like weather and geography. Today’s Wind Energy Fact explains how wind turbines produce more or less power based on those speeds!
(Note: wind speed and power production details vary based on turbine models and capacity, but for today’s example, we’ll use a Goldwind 87-1500 wind turbine.)
The three wind speeds that affect turbine power production are called the cut-in, cut-out, and rated wind speeds.
The “cut-in” wind speed is when the wind has reached a great enough speed to begin spinning the turbine blades – and thus begin producing power! This is typically around 3 meters per second (~7 miles per hour) for turbines installed by One Energy.
As the wind speed continues to climb, it will eventually reach what is called the “rated” wind speed, which is 11.5 meters per second (24.5 miles per hour). This is when the turbine has reached its maximum power production capacity. Once the rated wind speed has been reached, the turbine blades will pitch (rotate to change the angle of the blades) to continue optimal power production, while not exceeding 16 rotations per minute (RPMs).
If the wind speed exceeds 22 meters per second, it will reach what is referred to as the “cut-out” wind speed. This is the threshold where a turbine will be stopped due to the high wind speed, in order to prevent possible damage.
Now you know the three types of wind speeds that impact wind turbine operations and power production! A visual representation of these types of wind speeds can be seen in the power curve below.
