What happens to the excess energy wind turbines generate?

No, it cannot be stored. When the demand for wind energy tapers off, wind turbines are idled/turned off. The blades, like on a propeller driven aircraft, are turned sideways in the wind so that they cannot cause drag or be driven by the wind.

I saw three of the very first wind turbines back in the 1980’s just outside Goldendale, Washington. One of the turbines had a tower that was 200’ tall with blades that were 150’ long. The turbine rotated at a maximum of 17½ RPM.

The energy is – as they say in the South – gone with the wind.

Rick told me it’s stored in special batteries.

Some solar systems have batteries . . . https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/solar-plus-storage-101

If they can store solar energy why can’t they store wind energy?

It’s not wind or solar it’s the electricity that either one of them produced that gets stored, some of the more elaborate systems can actually send excess power back into the grid that the owner gets paid for.

I know it’s not the wind or solar they’re storing!
Aren’t the grids owned by cities and states?

@Dutchess_III

“Rick told me it’s stored in special batteries.”

Rick is right. Who would have guessed that watching all that football, would result in such an astute observation? ;-)

According to this, it’s stored in lead batteries.

I underestimate him often I’m ashamed to admit.

@Brian1946….but that article only mentions people who don’t have access to the power grid. Doesn’t the power grid have a means of storing that energy?

Dang it @Blackwater_Park! You ever coming back to us??

Have you any idea of how large those batteries would have to be?

No. I’m looking to be educated.

@Dutchess_III Here’s exactly what you’re looking for:

https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=488

Who’s Rick?

^The OP’s husband.

Sorry, had something to deal with. Most renewable energy is not stored at all. Battery storage is a thing that is rolling out for power distribution but it’s not widespread yet. A year ago I would not have thought it was being taken seriously but it’s been dominating the conversation on this subject lately. I work in the energy sector for the record.

Thank you everyone. @smudges, yes. Very educational

Glad you made it out of purgatory @Blackwater_Park! So it’s all still evolving? I look forward to future conversations on the subject!

In the UK we have several pumped storage schemes where excess electrical power is used to pump water up to a loch high in the hills. When required the stored water flows back down through turbines that generate electricity that feeds back into the grid. Ben Cruachan is an example.

Here is a better link to the Cruachan facility: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruachan_Power_Station

Thank you @RocketGuy.

There are several in the united states. The very first pumped storage was at Hiwassee dam in North Carolina. It was a proof of concept where they used the turbine to pump the river at the tailrace back into the reservoir. The TVA also has Raccoon mountain which is used to pump water from the Tennessee river into a man-made reservoir during low peak demand periods and will generate during high peak demand. It’s roughly equivalent to a nuke plant when it’s at full bore. I have been there and it’s impressive. Sites like this can be used to help store renewables. They’re also known as “water batteries.” Currently it’s mostly storing coal generated energy since you simply cannot turn a coal fired plant off and on as needed. It takes a lot to start a coal plant and they’re very expensive to run. It should be a relief that the industry actively wants them gone. The sad part is they’re mostly being replaced with natural gas.