Smaller Turbines

• The smallest wind turbines are used by people who need off-the-grid electricity, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Small, 250-watt turbines can perform tasks like charging the battery of a sailboat, while some dairy farms use 50-kilowatt turbines for power.
  
  

Larger Turbines

• According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, larger wind turbines, which are typically connected to the electric power grid, can range in size from 250 kilowatts to as large as 5-megawatt turbines that are based offshore. The capacity of the average land-based wind turbine was 1.67 megawatts. Many of these turbines designed to produce power for the electric grid are arranged in large clusters in windy areas to provide optimum power.
  
  

National Capacity

• In 2010, the U.S. wind power industry increased its total capacity by 39 percent, or 9,900 megawatts. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the amount of wind generation in 2008 (the latest year available) was 55.4 megawatt hours.