Interactive engineering sandbox

Wind Turbine Lab

Tune the turbine and the wind. The rotor drawing, swept area, available wind power, and estimated electrical output update as you move the controls.

Rotor visualization

3-blade rotor

Wind directionRotor bladesElectrical output estimate

Estimated electrical power

— kW

Swept area

— m²

Wind power through rotor

— kW

Overall modeled efficiency

— %

Adjust parameters

Blade length / rotor radius20 m

Longer blades sweep a larger area: area grows with radius squared.

Wind speed8 m/s

Wind power grows with the cube of wind speed.

Air density1.225 kg/m³

Typical sea-level air density is about 1.225 kg/m³; weather and altitude affect it.

Power coefficient (Cp)0.40

Fraction of wind power captured by the rotor. The Betz limit is 0.593.

Mechanical / generator efficiency90%

Represents drivetrain and generator losses after rotor capture.

Number of blades3 blades

Visual setting only in this simplified model; Cp is controlled separately.

Power breakdown

Wind input

—

Rotor capture

—

Electrical

—

Bars show the energy flow from available wind power to modeled electrical output.

Model & assumptions

Available wind power
Pwind = ½ × ρ × A × v³

Electrical output
Pelectric = Pwind × Cp × η

Swept area
A = π × r²

This is an educational estimate, not a certified turbine performance curve. It assumes steady, uniform wind across the rotor and does not model cut-in/cut-out speeds, blade aerodynamics, turbulence, wake effects, rated-power limits, or site conditions. “Overall efficiency” here means electrical output divided by the wind power passing through the swept area.