A typical modern wind turbine has a capacity of two megawatts (MW). A single turbine with this capacity is expected to generate the same amount of electricity as used by 1118 average households.
Calculations
The simplest formula to estimate the amount of energy generated by any electricity generating station is:
(Power x Time) x capacity factor = Energy (electricity) generated
The units of energy normally used are megawatt hours (MWh) and kilowatt hours (kWh) but sometimes Joules (J), Kilojoules (kJ) or Megajoules (MJ).
A wind turbine’s output varies with the wind speed and an average modern wind turbine has a capacity factor of around 30%. This figure should not be confused with the amount of time a wind turbine is generating electricity which is much higher.
Worked example for a 2MW (2000kW) wind turbine over a year
Energy = (2000 x 8760) x 0.3 = 5,256,000 kWh
This amount of electricity is equivalent to that consumed by how many average households?
An average household uses 4,700kWh of electricity per year, so…
A single 2MW turbine generates an amount of electricity equivalent to that used by approximately….
5,256,000 / 4,700 = 1118 households
Further Information
Wind energy calculations provided by the British Wind Energy Association
Wind energy calculations provided by the American Wind Energy Association