This photo shows one of the three 135-ft blades of a turbine before installation. Although the blades of wind turbines appear to move quite slowly to the human eye, blade tips often move at speeds faster than 100 mph.
Is there an international wind turbine database available?
No. To our knowledge, the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) is unique. Other datasets might be available from other countries on an ad hoc basis, but we are not aware of any central repository of those data. For general information and statistics on international wind projects, see thewindpower.net.
Related Content
How many homes can an average wind turbine power?
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration , the average U.S. home uses 893 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month. Per the U.S. Wind Turbine Database , the mean capacity of wind turbines that achieved commercial operations in 2020 is 2.75 megawatts (MW). At a 42% capacity factor (i.e., the average among recently built wind turbines in the United States, per the 2021 edition of...
Can wind turbines harm wildlife?
A key challenge facing the wind industry is the potential for turbines to adversely affect wild animals both directly, via collisions, as well as indirectly due to noise pollution, habitat loss, and reduced survival or reproduction. Among the most impacted wildlife are birds and bats, which by eating destructive insects provide billions of dollars of economic benefits to the country’s agricultural...
Why is it important to know the locations of wind turbines?
No publicly-available, national database of wind turbines existed prior to the creation of the USGS Windfarm mapper, which was replaced with the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) in 2018. Knowing the location of individual turbines and their technical specifications creates new opportunities for research and improved siting and is important information for land and resource management. In...
Why aren't there more offshore turbines in the U.S. Wind Turbine Database?
The U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) includes all utility-scale turbines that have been installed in the United States. As of January 2019, only one offshore wind farm has been constructed in the U.S. - the Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island. However, according to the Department of Energy , several other offshore projects are in advanced stages of development. If and when those projects...
Where can I find wind turbines that are permitted but not built?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains a database of proposed structures that they are evaluating as potential obstructions to airspace. However, an FAA determination of “non-hazard” is just one step of many in the permitting process, and many turbines evaluated by the FAA are never built. Learn more: U.S. Wind Turbine Database
How many turbines are contained in the U.S. Wind Turbine Database?
As of January 2022, the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) contains more than 70,800 turbines. These turbines have all been constructed since 1980 in approximately 1,500 wind power projects spanning at least 44 states (plus Puerto Rico and Guam). Learn more: Wind Energy
How often is the U.S. Wind Turbine Database updated?
The U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) is updated every three months [or four times a year] and contains turbines that were installed as recently as 3 months preceding the update. Learn more: Wind Energy
Wind Turbine Blade
This photo shows one of the three 135-ft blades of a turbine before installation. Although the blades of wind turbines appear to move quite slowly to the human eye, blade tips often move at speeds faster than 100 mph.
Related Content
- FAQ
How many homes can an average wind turbine power?
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration , the average U.S. home uses 893 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month. Per the U.S. Wind Turbine Database , the mean capacity of wind turbines that achieved commercial operations in 2020 is 2.75 megawatts (MW). At a 42% capacity factor (i.e., the average among recently built wind turbines in the United States, per the 2021 edition of...
Can wind turbines harm wildlife?
A key challenge facing the wind industry is the potential for turbines to adversely affect wild animals both directly, via collisions, as well as indirectly due to noise pollution, habitat loss, and reduced survival or reproduction. Among the most impacted wildlife are birds and bats, which by eating destructive insects provide billions of dollars of economic benefits to the country’s agricultural...
Why is it important to know the locations of wind turbines?
No publicly-available, national database of wind turbines existed prior to the creation of the USGS Windfarm mapper, which was replaced with the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) in 2018. Knowing the location of individual turbines and their technical specifications creates new opportunities for research and improved siting and is important information for land and resource management. In...
Why aren't there more offshore turbines in the U.S. Wind Turbine Database?
The U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) includes all utility-scale turbines that have been installed in the United States. As of January 2019, only one offshore wind farm has been constructed in the U.S. - the Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island. However, according to the Department of Energy , several other offshore projects are in advanced stages of development. If and when those projects...
Where can I find wind turbines that are permitted but not built?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains a database of proposed structures that they are evaluating as potential obstructions to airspace. However, an FAA determination of “non-hazard” is just one step of many in the permitting process, and many turbines evaluated by the FAA are never built. Learn more: U.S. Wind Turbine Database
How many turbines are contained in the U.S. Wind Turbine Database?
As of January 2022, the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) contains more than 70,800 turbines. These turbines have all been constructed since 1980 in approximately 1,500 wind power projects spanning at least 44 states (plus Puerto Rico and Guam). Learn more: Wind Energy
How often is the U.S. Wind Turbine Database updated?
The U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) is updated every three months [or four times a year] and contains turbines that were installed as recently as 3 months preceding the update. Learn more: Wind Energy
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Wind Turbine Blade
This photo shows one of the three 135-ft blades of a turbine before installation. Although the blades of wind turbines appear to move quite slowly to the human eye, blade tips often move at speeds faster than 100 mph.
This photo shows one of the three 135-ft blades of a turbine before installation. Although the blades of wind turbines appear to move quite slowly to the human eye, blade tips often move at speeds faster than 100 mph.
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