Enter your Turbine Type, Rotor Diameter, Wind Speed, and Air Density to calculate your turbine's Power Output — plus Theoretical Max Power, Swept Area, and Power Density so you can see exactly how much energy your rotor is pulling from the wind (and how close it gets to the physical limit).
Power Output
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Theoretical Max Power
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Swept Area
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Power Density
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Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) have blades that rotate around a horizontal axis and are the most common type. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) rotate around a vertical axis and can capture wind from any direction without needing to be oriented into the wind.
Wind turbine power is calculated using the formula: P = 0.5 × ρ × A × v³ × ξ, where ρ is air density, A is swept area, v is wind speed, and ξ is efficiency. The swept area depends on rotor diameter for HAWT or diameter × height for VAWT.
Modern wind turbines typically achieve 20-40% efficiency. The theoretical maximum (Betz limit) is about 59.3%, but real-world factors like blade design, gearbox losses, and generator efficiency reduce actual performance to 25-35% for most commercial turbines.
Power output is proportional to the cube of wind speed (v³). This means a 20% increase in wind speed results in a 73% increase in power generation. This cubic relationship makes wind speed the most critical factor in turbine performance.
A typical household uses 10,000-12,000 kWh per year. A 5-10 kW turbine with average wind speeds of 6-8 m/s can meet most residential needs, though this depends on local wind resources and energy consumption patterns.
Air density directly affects power output - denser air carries more kinetic energy. Air density decreases with altitude and temperature increases. At sea level (15°C), air density is about 1.225 kg/m³, but this can vary significantly with weather conditions.
Swept area is the circular area covered by the rotor blades as they rotate. For HAWT, it's π × (diameter/2)². For VAWT, it's typically diameter × height. Larger swept areas capture more wind energy but require stronger structural support.
Daily energy production depends on turbine size, wind conditions, and capacity factor. A 2 MW turbine with 30% capacity factor produces about 14.4 MWh per day. Small residential turbines (5-10 kW) might produce 36-144 kWh daily under good wind conditions.