Bigger blades, taller towers and more power: 30 years of wind turbines

Wind turbines have grown in height and blade length, and power output over the last three decades. Here's how they evolved in Alberta.

Overall avg: 3.2 MW  ·  112.5m rotor  ·  85.6m hub height
Power capacity (MW) Rotor diameter (m) Hub height (m)

Notes: Hub height, the distance from the ground to the rotor centre, rose nearly 3.5 times to 102.5 m by 2025, roughly a 30-storey building. Rotor diameter jumped from 24 m to 150.6 m, with bigger blades sweeping more area and capturing more wind. Power capacity rose from an average 2.3 MW in 2010 to 5.5 MW last year.

Source: Green Hydrogen from Wind Energy for Long-Duration Energy Storage in Alberta, Will Noel, Senior Electricity Analyst, Pembina Institute

Link to data: open.canada.ca