How much electricity can a wind turbine generate per day?

The daily power generation of wind turbines is not a fixed value, it mainly depends on the following three core factors:

1. Fan capacity (rated power)

This is the maximum power that a wind turbine can output under optimal conditions, measured in kilowatts (kW) or megawatts (MW).
Common specifications:

Small fan (such as household use): 10 kW -100 kW

Commercial onshore wind turbines: 2 MW -5 MW (currently mainstream)

Large offshore wind turbines: 6 MW -15 MW+(such as 14MW wind turbines with impeller diameters exceeding 230 meters)

2. Wind speed (the most critical factor)

The power generation of wind turbines is in a cubic relationship with wind speed, and a small increase in wind speed can lead to a significant increase in power generation.

Cut in wind speed (usually around 3-4 m/s): The wind turbine starts generating electricity.

Rated wind speed (usually around 12-15 m/s): The fan reaches its rated power to generate electricity.

Cut out wind speed (usually around 25 m/s): The fan is stopped to ensure safety.

Ideal wind speed range: The fan operates mostly at speeds lower than the rated wind speed, so the actual average output power is much lower than the rated power.

3. Wind energy utilization rate (capacity factor)

This is a key indicator for measuring the "working efficiency" of wind turbines, which refers to the ratio of the actual power generation over a period of time to the theoretical maximum power generation (continuously at full capacity).

Onshore wind turbines: typically 25% -40% (affected by wind resources, terrain, downtime maintenance, etc.).

Offshore wind turbines: typically 40% -50%+(with stronger and more stable offshore winds).

Theoretical Calculation and Examples

Calculation formula:
Daily electricity generation (kWh)=rated power (kW) x 24 hours x capacity factor

for example
Assuming a common 3 MW (3000 kW) onshore wind turbine is located in a wind farm with good conditions and a capacity factor of 35%.

Daily electricity generation=3000 kW x 24 hours x 0.35=25200 kWh

This means that this wind turbine generates an average of about 25000 kWh of electricity per day.

Important Concepts: Comparison and Significance

Compared with household electricity consumption: The average annual electricity consumption of an ordinary household in China is about 2000-3000 kWh. The daily power generation of the above-mentioned 3MW wind turbine can supply approximately 10 households for a whole year.

Compared with coal-fired power generation: if 25000 kWh of electricity is generated using standard coal (about 300 grams of coal per kWh), it is equivalent to saving about 7.5 tons of standard coal and reducing about 20 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Actual volatility: The wind turbine may be at full capacity on a certain day (24 hours x 3MW=72000 degrees), or it may have no wind or zero power generation during maintenance. The above calculated values are the average of long-term statistics.

summary

A mainstream 2-3 MW onshore wind turbine can generate an average of 15000 to 25000 kWh of electricity per day under favorable wind resource conditions. The specific values must be determined based on the actual wind conditions data of the wind turbine model, installation location, and maintenance level, as there are significant differences between different wind turbines and wind farms.