TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The more wind there is, the more power wind turbines can generate. This means that wind turbines are more efficient in some regions than others.

“The Central Plains of the United States really have the most amount of wind energy generation,” Jessica Grosso, the head of project planning and technology for One Energy said. “That’s due to the really great wind resource that we have in the center of the country.

One Energy is a private wind campus that converts wind energy into power for its customers. This is meant to offset energy consumption from large manufacturing facilities.

Grosso said a single wind turbine retrieves enough energy annually to power between 300,000 and 500,000 homes on average. In order to get the turbines spinning, the winds must be gusting at least 6 miles per hour.

“The wind turbine will yaw itself to be directly pointed into the wind,” Grosso said. “Once the wind speeds get up to 6 miles per hour, the wind turbine will then say, ‘Hey, we should probably start trying to produce energy.’”

Grosso said that either a gearbox or a permanent magnetic generator within the turbine produces electricity as the turbine spins. While One Energy satisfies the needs of its customers, they have methods in place to unused power isn’t wasted.

“Let’s say the customer is shut down and they’re not consuming any energy, the energy that the wind turbines produce then can go back on the grid and be used by the grid as a whole,” Grosso said.

Wind energy is a form of renewable energy, meaning that it replenishes naturally.

The United States Energy Information Administration said renewable energy was the third-highest consumed energy source in the United States in 2023, following petroleum and natural gas. Renewables are on the rise, having passed coal in energy consumption in the last few years.