Wind turbines are positioned to make the most of quality wind resources. However, that does not mean turbines will spin all the time.
There are many reasons that affect when wind turbines spin, including:
- Wind speed – the wind is not strong enough or too strong
- Demand – the grid doesn’t need more electricity (this can occur for a variety of reasons), and
- Other reasons – like maintenance, farming or other activities at site.
All electricity generators (not just wind farms) have capacity constraints and these will change as more renewables come into the energy market.
Currently wind turbines can be turned off (or curtailed) because coal plants are part of the energy mix, and they are far more difficult to ramp up or down to meet demand.
As coal and gas generators become less reliable and retire, there will be less need to curtail wind energy for that reason.
In future, renewable energy’s flexible generation – combined with storage solutions – will be able to more quickly adjust energy output to match demand.
Read more: ABC article providing a good explanation of curtailment (ABC, 10 Nov 2025)
