Energy windmills?

Question

How can those windmills work? It appears to be NOT windy, yet they still move. Why is that?

Answer 1

There are two reasons that the windmills are turning while it appears to be windstill. The first reason is that these windmills are designed to operate a very low wind speeds by using long blades with large surfaces. It should be noted that many windmills are actually designed to shut down at higher speeds to prevent the windmill from being destroyed in the high winds. This is done by turning the blade (reducing the area exposed to the wind).
The second reason that was be considered is that the wind speed you are experiencing is at ground level. Wind speeds change quickly as you get away from ground level. This is why windmills are built on towers (to get away from ground level where the winds are higher and more constant).
Hope this answers your question.

Answer 2

All of the above, plus: The blades may be turning but they don't generate enough electricity to earn their keep until the wind blows fairly hard. They are usually designed to produce maximum output in a 30 mph wind. If the wind blows at least 30 mph only one day a year, the windmill may produce more energy in that one day than the whole rest of the year. That's because the available power is proportional to the cube of the wind velocity. A 15 mph wind can generate only one eighth as much power as a 30 mph wind. Windmills are a very expensive way to generate power in areas that don't get much wind.

Answer 3

Most windmills require a 14 mile per hour wind to produce electricity. Sometimes they can go months without producing any. The new generation of windmill is much better and operates in very low winds.

Answer 4

Well there's wind blowing higher up in the air sometimes when its not blowing on our level. You can see this by flying a kite.

When the wind turn the blades it activates turbines in the windmill that generate electricity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power