Energy

Wind formation

Wind is an atmospheric phenomenon due to the heating of the sun. The sun radiates on the Earth a power of 1.74 x 1017 Watts: about 2% of it is converted into wind energy.
The Earth releases the heat received from the Sun, but this is hardly homogeneous. In those areas where less heat is released, the pressure of atmospheric gases increases, while in those areas where more heat is released, the air becomes hot and the gas pressure is reduced. As a consequence, high-pressure areas and low-pressure areas are formed, which are also influenced by the Earth’s rotation. When different masses of air get in contact, the area with a higher pressure tends to transfer air towards the area with lower pressure. It is the same as when we let a balloon deflate. The high pressure inside the balloon tends to transfer air outside, where the pressure is lower, originating a small airflow. Therefore wind is a more or less rapid air transfer between different pressure areas. The higher is the pressure difference, the faster is the air displacement and the stronger is the wind.