Wind Energy is on the rise across the globe, with a big increase in the number of turbines installed in the U.S. in the last few years. With all energy sources, the big question is about the effect on the environment. The production of wind energy releases no greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. This article from the Scientific American was interesting because it referenced to a study that discovered that wind turbines change the air temperature around them. With global warming progressing, this could turn out to be a problem. But there are some points to be made about this report. The study was based on data from 1989, and the turbines used were very small, 23 meters in height and with blades that were just 9 meters in length. The study discovered that the air around the turbine was cooler during the day and warmer during the night compared to normal temperatures. But, they don't have any data for the huge turbines that are installed today, that are 4 times bigger than those in the study. Also, this temperature increase and decrease cancels out, so there is no increase in the overall temperature during the day. There is actually a positive that comes from this. Many farmers need warmer air temperatures during the night, because their crops will frost over if it gets too cold. So by hypothetically installing wind turbines on their farmlands, they can help avoid frost. While this isn't proven and with bigger turbines this effect is unpredictable without more data, this could be a positive effect on the environment. With wind energy predicted growing even more in the near future, the effects on the environment need to be looked at closely.
Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-wind-turbines-affect-temperature
For this to have any significant effect on the environment at all I would imagine we would have to have wind power implemented on an impossible scale. Consequently by the time we can even begin to think about having that much wind energy, this problem will probably no longer exist due to improvements in materials and blade design. As the post states researchers are beginning to look into these problems and solution already, for more info visit
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2005/1012-wind_farms_impacting_weather.htm
The main problem with wind energy is its unpredictability. Industrial wind can only supply additional energy to the grid, it cannot supply modern reliable power, and wind power provides only extra energy, it does not produce baseload electricity.The effect of wind energy on the local weather seems to be a minimal factor in the progress of the new technology. The scale of wind farms would have to be enormous to seriously disrupt weather patterns, and by the time wind energy becomes more popular there will probably be a solution to this problem if it even still exists.
ReplyDeleteI have often wondered of the actual impacts of wind turbines on weather patterns, while not hearing much of it. This is interesting as I would not have imagined a temperature change from mixing - which sounds like a good thing, as was said. To me the issue with wind turbines is when we have a large region covered by high altitude turbines (such as we deploy now), does it have an impact on the overall movement of air throughout the region? Intuitively it would seem that they are at a too low an altitude to have a real impact, but the majority of air-flow 'patterns' emerge as the result of landscape geometry. Could we be slowing down the movement of weather? Being such a difficult question to answer (although easy to dismiss), it speaks to me of the extent to which we really understand our ecosystem and weather patterns, although I'm sure somebody somewhere does. A butterfly's wings...
ReplyDeleteI think that Ben Gully brings up a good point: no one really knows the extent to which we are effecting our environment with our quest to generate energy. I don't really believe most people even understand the implications of global warming related to the emission of fossil fuels. Logically thinking, wind has an initial energy value, then we take some with wind turbines, and then the remaining energy (which is less than the original) returns immediately to the environment. I think that there must be some consequences of taking this energy out of the environment. I think we also should consider the environmental implications of solar energy and taking heat energy away from the planet. Would a solar field the size of the state of Nevada (which is estimated to be able to sustain the U.S. energy demand) would have negative impacts across the globe?
ReplyDeleteI think we must also consider the fact that all energy used cause some kind of problem, especially environmental problems. CO2 emission from coal is said to be a huge contribution to global warming, hydropower changes the water cycle, and so on. So should we say that since all energy sources are harmful in some way, the use of them should be discouraged until further development? And especially wind and solar because they're so "iffy" and unexplored? Then we should consider stopping the use of conventional energy like coal and natural gas since they are harmful, too. But, that's ridiculous in the world that we live in. Furthermore, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy were once unexplored too (despite the fact that people during the industrial revolution did not know environmental impacts), so shouldn't we give emerging energy sources a chance?
ReplyDelete