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Question:
How efficient are wind turbines? |
Wind turbines are very reliable and require minimal maintenance. A modern turbine would be expected to be operational about 97% of the time. Conventional generation operates at around 40% efficiency. A figure of only 30% efficiency is often quoted.
This is misleading. The turbine is designed to cope with the strongest
winds, which are obviously greater than the average wind. The 30% is
just the average wind energy capture as a percentage of the peak capacity.
It has nothing to do with how efficient the turbine is. |