The Daily Wind Cycle
During the day, the air above the land heats up more quickly than the air over
water. The warm air over the land expands and rises, and the heavier, cooler
air rushes in to take its place, creating wind. At night, the winds are reversed because the air cools more rapidly over land than over water.
In the same way, the atmospheric winds that circle the earth are created because
the land near the Earth's equator is heated more by the sun than the land near
the North and South Poles.
Wind Energy for Electricity Generation
Today,
wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity. Wind is a renewable energy source because
the wind will blow as long as the sun shines