How does a wind turbine produce electricity?
In a coal-fired power station, chemical energy stored in coal is converted first to heat energy by burning and then into kinetic energy (energy of motion) by heating water to produce steam. A high pressure jet of steam is used to turn a turbine (mechanical energy), which is then used to turn a dynamo generator to produce electrical energy. In generating electricity from wind, the chemical and heat energy steps are not needed: the kinetic energy of the wind turns the turbine (or blades), which then turns a generator to produce electricity.
