Wind can be used to do work. Wind was used to turn large stones to grind grain or corn. Farmers used wind energy to pump water from wells or dugouts for their cattle, crops and gardens. They also used windmills to generate electricity for their homes.

a windmill can generate electricity
or pump water
Today wind turbines are used to generate electricity in many parts of the world.

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HOW DOES A WIND TURBINE WORK ?

A wind turbine looks something like a toy pinwheel.

Wind turbines are usually on tall towers. Long blades, or "rotors" catch the wind and spin. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns a generator to produce electrical energy. As the wind speed increases, the power output increases. The electricity is sent through transmission and distribution lines to a substation, then on to homes and businesses.

Studies are done to determine where the windiest areas are. Wind blows faster at higher altitudes. and over open areas where there are no windbreaks. Good sites for wind farms are the tops of smooth, rounded hills , open plains or shorelines , and mountain passes. A wind farm might have only two or three turbines, or 150 turbines or even as many as 5000 wind turbines.

Saskatchewan's first wind power project was the SunBridge Wind Power Facility (2002). The 17-turbine wind farm is located five kilometres southeast of Gull Lake.

The Cypress Wind Power Facility is located about 12 kilometres southwest of Gull Lake. There were 9 wind turbines in 2002 with 7 added in 2003 for a total of 16. The turbines are 50 m high (as high as a 12 storey building). Each turbine blade is 23 m long. The wind power is fed into SaskPower's electrical system. The 33 turbines from both facilities produce enough power for 9000 homes.

In June/06 the Centennial Wind Power Facility was officially opened. The giant wind turbines stand in farmland near Swift Current in the southwestern part of the province. It is the largest operating wind power facility in Canada. There are 83 wind turbines which can provide enough power for 64,000 homes.