A wind turbine rising above Oʻahu trees forms part of a wind energy installation where USGS bat research is taking place.
What materials are used to make wind turbines?
According to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Table 30), depending on make and model wind turbines are predominantly made of steel (66-79% of total turbine mass); fiberglass, resin or plastic (11-16%); iron or cast iron (5-17%); copper (1%); and aluminum (0-2%).
Many turbine components are domestically sourced and manufactured in the United States. According to the Land-Based Wind Market Report by the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, wind turbine towers are 60-75% domestically sourced, blade and hub components are 30-50% domestic, and nacelle assemblies are over 85% domestically sourced. However, many internal parts such as pitch and yaw systems, bearings, bolts, and controllers are typically imported.
Learn more: Wind Energy
Related Content
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...
How are wind turbine data collected?
The U.S. Wind Turbine Database project compiles wind turbine information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) Wind Technologies Market Report dataset, the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) wind turbine and project datasets, and the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) legacy (2014) wind turbine dataset, as well as online sources...
How many wind turbines are installed in the U.S. each year?
The number of turbines installed in the U.S. each year varies based on a number of factors, but on average 3,000 turbines have been built in the U.S. each year since 2005. Learn more: Wind Energy U.S. Wind Turbine Database
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 .
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...
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 towering over trees
A wind turbine rising above Oʻahu trees forms part of a wind energy installation where USGS bat research is taking place.
PubTalk 7/2012 — Wind Energy and Wildlife
-- the challenges of wind-energy development and wildlife conservation
by Manuela Huso, Research Statistician
-- the challenges of wind-energy development and wildlife conservation
by Manuela Huso, Research Statistician
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.
Related Content
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...
How are wind turbine data collected?
The U.S. Wind Turbine Database project compiles wind turbine information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) Wind Technologies Market Report dataset, the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) wind turbine and project datasets, and the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) legacy (2014) wind turbine dataset, as well as online sources...
How many wind turbines are installed in the U.S. each year?
The number of turbines installed in the U.S. each year varies based on a number of factors, but on average 3,000 turbines have been built in the U.S. each year since 2005. Learn more: Wind Energy U.S. Wind Turbine Database
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 .
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...
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 towering over trees
A wind turbine rising above Oʻahu trees forms part of a wind energy installation where USGS bat research is taking place.
A wind turbine rising above Oʻahu trees forms part of a wind energy installation where USGS bat research is taking place.
PubTalk 7/2012 — Wind Energy and Wildlife
-- the challenges of wind-energy development and wildlife conservation
by Manuela Huso, Research Statistician
-- the challenges of wind-energy development and wildlife conservation
by Manuela Huso, Research Statistician
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.