Wind energy is one of the most popular forms of alternative energy and accounts for a significant amount of new energy plants built across the world. With their increasing popularity and the rise of offshore wind farming, wind energy is playing a key component in the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. To help you understand the benefits of wind energy, here are just 5 things you probably didn’t know:

1. Wind energy was first developed in 200 BC in Persia and China

Windmills have been in use since 200 B.C. and were first developed in, that's right, Persia and China. Ancient mariners sailed to distant lands by making use of winds. Farmers used wind power to pump water and for grinding grains. Today, the most popular use of wind energy is converting it to electrical energy to meet the critical energy needs worldwide.

2. Wind turbines are BIG

Okay, maybe you read that one and thought "give me a break, of course I know they're big"... but do you know just how big!? The blades on a wind turbine typically average almost 200 feet long, and turbine towers average 295 feet tall—to compare, that's about the height of the Statue of Liberty. The largest turbines can harness enough energy to power 600 American homes. How incredible is that!?

3. Wind turbines contain more components than windmills

Today’s wind turbines are much more complicated machines than the traditional prairie windmill. In fact, a wind turbine contains as many as 8,000 different components.

4. Britain has one of the biggest offshore wind farms

The UK has the largest offshore wind farm in the world, which is located just off the coast of Yorkshire. With that, the employment in offshore wind in the UK has increased significantly since 2015, with 7,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in 2019. We're in 2022 now - we know that number has gone up A LOT! More energy and more jobs - win, win situation! if you want to learn more about the biggest wind farms around the world, click HERE.

5. Wind energy is affordable

According to the latest from Lazard, wind power was 71% cheaper in 2020 than in 2009 and the cost of solar energy dropped by an astounding 90%. Our resource tells us that, in many cases, getting energy from new wind turbines is now cheaper than getting energy from existing coal and gas plants. 

What can you take away from this blog?

The demand for renewable energy is on the top of most, if not all, industry leading companies to save the planet. One of the most sought renewable energy sources is, without a doubt, wind energy, which now boasts around 350,000 wind turbines globally. Embracing environmentally sustainable sources of energy,  and using  wind energy is expected to rise more in the coming years. Without a doubt, most countries will rely on wind power and reduce fossil energy dependence tenfold.