Betz Limit

The Betz Limit states that no wind turbine can extract more than 59.3% of the kinetic energy from flowing wind, regardless of design. This fundamental thermodynamic limit arises because extracting energy slows the wind, which then blocks further energy extraction. Albert Betz derived this limit in 1920 from momentum and energy conservation. Modern wind turbines achieve 35-45% efficiency, approaching this theoretical maximum.