Written by Dominique Sabins
Edited by Aviva Tenenbaum
Last updated February 20, 2025
Wind energy is a renewable energy resource used to power homes, farms, businesses, and other infrastructure around the world. Moving air contains kinetic energy, which is harnessed by wind turbines to produce electricity. Wind energy is one of the cleanest forms of energy, as it produces no emissions and has a minimal impact on the environment.
Keep reading to understand how these machines create electricity from wind.
Civilizations have used various forms of wind energy via windmills and pumps for thousands of years. However, modern-day wind turbines for electricity generation were invented in the 1850s by Daniel Halladay and John Burnham, who created the U.S. Wind Engine & Pump Company.
Wind energy naturally replenishes itself, making it a renewable resource. Unlike non-renewable resources such as coal or natural gas, wind energy is infinite and uses the environment’s daily wind cycle.
Wind is caused by the uneven heating of the air above water versus land. The air above ground heats up faster than that over water, which causes it to expand and rise so that cooler air from above the water can rush in, causing wind.
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