Wind Energy Quiz

Feel that wind? Fwooooshhhh!!! Fwwwooooshhh!! Quick, somebody put up a wind turbine. Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Which produces more carbon emissions: Wind power or natural gas?

Wind power

Natural Gas

Correct! Whoops! You chose:

Natural gas. Burning any fossil fuel – natural gas, coal, diesel, whatever – releases excess carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Hell-o, climate change. Wind turbines don't release any carbon dioxide. They just turn while the wind blows on them.

Which of these states would be the best place to put a wind turbine?

Tennessee

Nebraska

Mississippi

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Nebraska – the Great Plains states get lots of wind, and there are already many wind farms out there on the prairie.

Which of these is a problem with using wind as a power source?

It causes climate change.

The wind doesn't blow all the time.

The turbines have to be close to major cities.

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Wind doesn't blow all the time. So it would be tough to rely on 100% wind power. Instead, wind has to be supplemented with other sources of energy.

True/false: Thousands of birds die each year when they run into wind turbines.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

True. Most are killed by turbines with old designs. Newer turbines move slower and are placed more carefully. The Altamont Pass wind farm in Northern California kills a lot of birds; its turbines have an old design and are right in the middle of a migratory route.

What were those iconic Dutch windmills for? You know, the wood ones with the tulips?

Pumping water

Making electricity

Attracting tourists

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Ok, you could make an argument for "attracting tourists." But the answer is pumping water. Much of the Netherlands is below sea level, and for centuries the Dutch have reclaimed land by pumping water out of the low-lying areas. Of course, they also had windmills for grinding grain and other uses.

According to the World Wind Energy Association, what percentage of the world's electricity comes from wind?

1-2%

10%

15%

50%

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"More than one percent" of the world's electricity comes from wind turbines. We'll call that between one and two.

How does a wind turbine make electricity?

The spinning blades turn a shaft that connects to a generator.

They raise water that then flows downhill and runs a turbine that connects to a generator.

Tiny elves inside the blades run on treadmills.

Correct! Whoops! You chose:

The spinning blades turn a shaft that connects to a generator. Lots of electricity comes from spinning things – water or steam spinning a turbine, for example, that turns a shaft that goes to a generator.