How many turbines would it take to power New York City?

Researchers at electronics distributors, RS Components, have found out how many wind turbines would be required to power a major city, from New York to Shanghai.

With the world’s first floating wind farm now generating electricity, it’s only right that other major cities and countries start taking new approaches to generating electricity in more efficient ways.

Data reveals just how little space is needed to power cities by wind turbines with this interactive piece.

Researchers estimate that wind farms have the technical potential to produce up to 40 times the electricity the world consumes, but still they provide only 4 percent of the world’s electricity.

However, improved infrastructure and higher voltage cables have recently sent prices for wind power tumbling and it is predicted that by 2040, a third of power will come from wind and solar.

So let’s take a look at how many wind turbines would be needed to power the world’s major cities:

The top 5 places that need the most wind turbines to power their major city:

1. Tokyo, Japan needs 10,310 offshore wind turbines
2. New York City, USA needs 3,687 offshore wind turbines
3. Seoul, South Korea needs 3,644 offshore wind turbines
4. Shanghai, China needs 3,304 offshore wind turbines
5. Los Angeles, USA needs 1,818 offshore wind turbines

The top 5 cities with the biggest offshore areas (km2) of wind turbines needed to power them:

1. Tokyo, Japan would need 10,620 km2 of space to power the city with wind turbines
2. New York City, USA would need 3,797 km2 of space to power the city with wind turbines
3. Seoul, South Korea would need 3,752 km2 of space to power the city with wind turbines
4. Shanghai, China would need 3,402 km2 of space to power the city with wind turbines
5. Los Angeles, USA would need 1,872 km2 of space to power the city with wind turbines

It seems that Asia is the continent that is most hungry for a renewable energy source, as Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai all come within the top 5 major cities that take the most space (km2) up of offshore wind farms. But what about the cities that don’t need alot to power them?

The top 5 cities with the smallest offshore areas (km2) of wind turbines needed to power them:

1. Milan, Italy would need 244 km2 of offshore space to power the city with wind turbines
2. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore would need 293 km2 of offshore space to power the city with wind turbines
3. Barcelona, Spain would need 307 km2 of offshore space to power the city with wind turbines
4. Mumbai, India would need 355 km2 of offshore space to power the city with wind turbines
5. San Francisco, USA would need 373 km2 of offshore space to power the city with wind turbines

The top 5 places that need the least wind turbines to power their major city:

1. Milan, Italy needs 238 offshore wind turbines
2. Kuala Lumpur, Singapore needs 286 offshore wind turbines
3. Barcelona, Spain needs 299 offshore wind turbines
4. Mumbai, India needs 346 offshore wind turbines
5. San Francisco, USA needs 363 offshore wind turbines

It may come as a surprise that San Francisco, USA is one of the major cities that needs the least amount of wind turbines to power its population, as well as Mumbai, as they both have a very large population. Take a look at the interactive graph and see where your nearest major city comes in at and how many wind farms you would need to power its population.

For more information on how many wind turbines are needed to power the world, visit; RS Components.