Read: Wind at work

A traditional windmill uses wind to turn its blades. The turning mechanism can pump water from underground into a tank or trough. Many rural windmills have several narrow blades and sit on a tower near a water source. A modern wind turbine also has blades turned by wind, but it is built to generate electricity. The rotating blades turn a shaft connected to a generator. Electricity can then travel through power lines. Turbines are often grouped together in a wind farm. Wind is a renewable energy source because nature continually replaces it. Wind turbines do not burn fuel while generating electricity, but they do not make electricity at the same rate all the time: output depends on wind conditions. Turbines also need suitable sites and can affect the view and wildlife. A windmill and a turbine both transfer energy from moving air into useful forms, but their main jobs are different.