Today, wind power is generated almost completely using wind turbines, generally grouped into wind farms and connected to the electrical grid. In 2024, wind supplied about 2,500 TWh of electricity, which was over 8% of world electricity. China has successfully completed the first flight of its home-designed floating wind turbine, the S1500, in Hami, Xinjiang. The system passed strict tests, including full desert assembly and repeated deployments in high winds. This marks a major milestone for airborne wind power. World's first megawatt-class urban-used high-altitude wind power system – the S2000 Stratosphere Airborne Wind Energy System (SAWES) – completes its test flight in Yibin, Southwest China's Sichuan. A megawatt-class airborne wind power system, resembling a fantasy airship and developed by a Beijing-based company, successfully completed its maiden flight and power generation test in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Global Times learned on Sunday. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity.
[PDF Version]