Understanding 1MW and 500W Wind Turbines

[drugyjay]

can someone explain in simple terms what does 1mw wind turbine mean?

how many houses can this power?

if it is a 500w turbine, how many houses can this power?

 

[stewartcs]

can someone explain in simple terms what does 1mw wind turbine mean?

1 MW is one mega watt. It is the rated power capacity of the wind turbine for a given (and constant) wind speed.

how many houses can this power?

It depends on the capacity factor of the wind turbine and the household consumption. The capacity factor depends largely on the average wind speed. A typical capacity factor would be between 0.25 and 0.40. The average household consumption in the US is about 10,600 kWh per year (according to the DOE).

Therefore, the number of houses in the US that can be powered by a 1 MW wind turbine would be 1,000,000 x 0.40 x 8760 / 10600 = 331 homes.

if it is a 500w turbine, how many houses can this power?

Use the same approach as above to find this.

CS