Wind turbines work on a simple principle: instead of using electricity to make wind—like a fan—wind turbines use wind to make electricity. Wind turns the propeller-like blades of a turbine around a rotor, which spins a generator, which creates electricity.
風力渦輪機的工作原理很簡單：風力渦輪機不是像風扇一樣利用電力製造風，而是利用風力製造電力。風使渦輪機螺旋槳狀的葉片繞著轉子轉動，使發電機轉動，從而產生電力。
Explore a Wind Turbine 探索風力渦輪機
To see how a wind turbine works, click on the image for a demonstration.
若要瞭解風力渦輪機的工作原理，請按一下圖片，以觀看 演示。
Types of Wind Turbines 風力渦輪機的類型
Wind is a form of solar energy caused by a combination of three concurrent events:
風是太陽能的一種形式，由三個同時發生的事件組合而成：
- The sun unevenly heating the atmosphere
太陽不均勻地加熱大氣 - Irregularities of the earth's surface
地球表面的不規則 - The rotation of the earth.
地球的自轉。
Wind flow patterns and speeds vary greatly across the United States and are modified by bodies of water, vegetation, and differences in terrain. Humans use this wind flow, or motion energy, for many purposes: sailing, flying a kite, and even generating electricity.
風流模式和速度在美國各地有很大的差異，並受到水體、植被和地形差異的影響。人類將這些風流或運動能量用於許多用途：航行、放風箏，甚至發電。
The terms "wind energy" and "wind power" both describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity.
「風能 」和 「風力發電 」這兩個詞都描述了利用風力產生機械能或電力的過程。這種機械動力可以用於特定的任務（例如研磨穀物或抽水），或者發電機可以將這種機械動力轉換成電力。
A wind turbine turns wind energy into electricity using the aerodynamic force from the rotor blades, which work like an airplane wing or helicopter rotor blade. When wind flows across the blade, the air pressure on one side of the blade decreases. The difference in air pressure across the two sides of the blade creates both lift and drag. The force of the lift is stronger than the drag and this causes the rotor to spin. The rotor connects to the generator, either directly (if it’s a direct drive turbine) or through a shaft and a series of gears (a gearbox) that speed up the rotation and allow for a physically smaller generator. This translation of aerodynamic force to rotation of a generator creates electricity.
風力渦輪機利用轉子葉片的空氣動力將風能轉換為電力，轉子葉片的工作原理與飛機機翼或直升機轉子葉片類似。當風流經葉片時，葉片一側的氣壓會降低。葉片兩側的氣壓差會產生升力和阻力。升力比阻力大，這導致旋翼旋轉。轉子直接與發電機連接（如果是直接驅動的渦輪機），或透過軸和一系列齒輪（變速箱）加速旋轉，使發電機的體積更小。將空氣動力轉換為發電機的轉動可產生電力。
Types of Wind Turbines 風力渦輪機的類型
The majority of wind turbines fall into two basic types:
大多數的風力渦輪機可分為兩種基本類型：
Wind turbines can be built on land or offshore in large bodies of water like oceans and lakes. The U.S. Department of Energy is currently funding projects to facilitate offshore wind deployment in U.S. waters.
風力渦輪機可以建在陸地或離岸的大型水體，如海洋和湖泊。美國能源部目前正在資助專案，以促進美國水域的離岸風力部署。
Interested in wind energy? The Small Wind Guidebook helps homeowners, ranchers, and small businesses decide if wind energy can work for them.
對風能感興趣？ 小型風力指南手冊可幫助屋主、牧場主和小型企業決定風能是否適合他們。
More wind energy resources can be found at WINDExchange, which has lesson plans, websites, and videos for K-12 students, as well as information about the Wind for Schools Project and the Collegiate Wind Competition.
更多的風能資源可以在教案、網站和K-12學生的影片、以及有關 Wind for Schools Project 的資訊。
Energy 101: Generating Clean Electricity from the Wind
能源 101：利用風力發電
This video highlights the basic principles at work in wind turbines and illustrates how the various components work to capture and convert wind energy to electricity. See the text version.
本視訊重點介紹風力渦輪機的基本工作原理，並說明各種元件如何擷取風能並將其轉換為電力。請參閱 文字版本。
美國能源部
Find out more about wind energy by visiting the Wind Energy Technologies Office web page or browsing the office's funded activities.
請造訪風能技術辦公室受資助活動，瞭解更多有關風能的資訊。
訂閱 WETO 電子報
接收最新的風能新聞、活動和更新，隨時掌握最新資訊。