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Wind power

A wind turbine uses the force of the wind to turn the rotor blades, generating mechanical energy which is then transformed into electrical energy with a generator.

A wind turbine only turns with wind speeds between 15 km/h and 90 km/h, beyond which the turbine stops automatically for safety reasons.

Three configurations

  • Wind turbines on private land: power is generated for the owner’s own consumption or is sold back to EDF and fed directly into the network.
  • Land-based wind farms: several wind turbines (up to several dozen) spaced at least 200 m apart.
  • Offshore wind farms: installed at sea in areas on average 10 km away from the coast.

Did you know?

Depending on the machine’s output, a wind turbine’s mast may be up to 115 meters tall

Taking a closer look