GE Wind Energy is a branch of GE Energy, a subsidiary of General Electric. The company manufactures and sells wind turbines to the international market. In 2009, GE was the second largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world.

The entity was created as developer (not manufacturer) Zond in 1980 by James G.P. Dehlsen, who also formed Clipper Windpower in 2001.Enron acquired Zond in January 1997.

In 2002 GE acquired the wind power assets of Enron during its bankruptcy proceedings while gas turbine sales slumped. Enron Wind was the only surviving US manufacturer of large wind turbines at the time, and GE increased engineering and supplies for the Wind Division and doubled the annual sales to $1.2B in 2003. It acquired ScanWind in 2009.

In February 2011, GE also acquired Wind Tower Systems, LLC, a manufacturer of space frame wind turbine towers.

The company currently produces three types of wind turbines, ranging from 1.5 MW to 4 MW.

The GE 1.5 megawatt series of wind turbines was developed with the cooperation of the United States Department of Energy. It consists of three fibreglass blades attached to a horizontal axis hub. The hub is connected to the main shaft which turns a multi-stage system of gears. The gears increase the rotational rate and send the kinetic energy obtained from the wind to a doubly fed electric machine, where it is converted into electrical energy. The angle of the blades and the direction which the turbine faces are controlled by an active, all electric pitch and yaw system. The generator has a maximum output of 1.5 megawatts (1,500 kW). The generator and gearbox are contained in the nacelle which is further insulated to minimize noise emissions.

Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion, also called wind.

Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:

where v is the wind speed; ρ is the air density; Avt is the volume of air passing through A (which is considered perpendicular to the direction of the wind); Avtρ is therefore the mass m passing per unit time. Note that ½ ρv² is the kinetic energy of the moving air per unit volume.

Power is energy per unit time, so the wind power incident on A (e.g. equal to the rotor area of a wind turbine) is:

Wind power in an open air stream is thus proportional to the third power of the wind speed; the available power increases eightfold when the wind speed doubles. Wind turbines for grid electricity therefore need to be especially efficient at greater wind speeds.

Eolian processes pertain to the activity of the winds and more specifically, to the winds' ability to shape the surface of the Earth. Winds may erode, transport, and deposit materials, and are effective agents in regions with sparse vegetation and a large supply of fine, unconsolidated sediments. Although water and mass flow tend to mobilize more material than wind in most environments, eolian processes are important in arid environments such as deserts.