Wind
Wind turbines harness the power of the wind to generate electricity. The wind rotates the blades, which are connected to a generator that converts this energy into electricity. The UK has the most useable supply of wind of all European countries and therefore wind represents a huge potential renewable energy source, as yet largely untapped. Wind power is used to generate electricity at the small scale (see Micro-renewables section) and larger, commercial scale.
Wind farms, a collection of wind turbines, are the most common way of using the wind to generate energy on a commercial scale and in the UK there are both on- and off-shore wind farms. Off-shore wind farms have higher construction and connection costs than on-shore farms, with the need for undersea cabling to connect to the grid. This section provides more information on wind energy developments and associated planning issues.
