Wind power can be harnessed in a number of different ways. For example, windmills create mechanical energy, sails move boats and wind turbines generate electricity.
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Vertical-axis turbines are shorter, only about 100 feet tall. Their blades move from top to bottom, resembling eggbeaters.
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Large groups of wind turbines are called wind farms.
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Around 80 different countries use wind power to generate electricity commercially (as of 2009).
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Modern wind turbines usually have 3 blades which can reach speeds at the tip of over 320 kph.
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The large blades of wind turbines can interfere with some radar systems used by weather stations or air traffic controls, at times being mistaken for planes or various weather patterns.
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Wind turbines can even be installed offshore on floating structures, sending the electricity generated back to land with the help of undersea cables.
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Vertical-axis turbines are shorter, only about 100 feet tall. Their blades move from top to bottom, resembling eggbeaters.
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