If y’all think windmills are cool, think about a helicopter. How much gas is needed to spin the thing. Then you think backwards: how fast the windmill has to spin (how slow but big) to match the gas engine. mmmmmk?
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A typical helicopter gas turbine engine requires a few hundred kW of power to fly a helicopter.
A typical windmill generates 2500-3000 kW of power averaged over a year.
It's not about rotational speed of the blades; it is about the power.
Source: I have a PhD in Electrical Engineering
great! that means a windmill only makes about 10 full tank gas helicopter rides.