Do wind farms drive local warming?
Jeremy Hancemongabay.com
October 11, 2010
"It depends on the location," Somnath Baidya Roy, one of the paper's authors, said. "For example, in the Great Plains region, the winds are typically stronger at night, so the nocturnal effect may dominate. In a region where daytime winds are stronger—for example a sea breeze—then the cooling effect will dominate. It's a very location-specific thing."
 Wind turbine in Morris, Minnesota. Photo by: Jeremy Hance. |
Researchers write that wind farms impact temperature simply by stirring the air around: turbine rotors cause turbulence, bringing down upper-level air while pushing up surface-level air and mixing them enough to change temperature.
Researchers say this phenomenon could actually have some benefits. For example, wind turbines built over farmland in the Midwest would warm air at night, possibly extending the growing season and providing some protection from frost.
Mitigating the impact is also possible by developing low-turbulence turbine rotors, which would also be more energy efficient. Another solution would be to place wind farms in regions of the world where turbulence is already present in the atmosphere, thereby lessening the importance of wind turbine-related turbulence, such as the American Midwest.
"Wind energy is likely to be a part of the solution to the atmospheric carbon dioxide and the global warming problem. By identifying impacts and potential mitigation strategies, this study will contribute to the long-term sustainability of wind power," Roy said.
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