October 6, 2010
MAN HAS SPENT 6014 YEARS TRYING TO WARM UP AT NIGHT AND COOL OFF IN THE DAY... (via Bryan Francoeur)
Wind farms alter local weather: Large wind turbines create wakes, can change temperatures (Michelle Bryner,, 10/05/10, TechNewsDaily)
Researchers have found that under certain conditions at one wind farm studied, large wind turbines can alter local temperatures, sometimes by as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius). While climate models have shown the possibility of such an impact, this is the first time that real data has been used to confirm the phenomenon."As wind farms become larger and more ubiquitous, it is essential that their possible environmental costs and benefits are assessed and properly addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability of wind power," the researchers state in their paper published online Oct. 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
These giant wind turbines create wakes, similar to the ripples of water produced as a boat zooms through the water, that cause the local air to mix vertically, said Somnath Baidya Roy, a professor at the University of Illinois and lead author of the new study. "What it does is it takes low level air and mixes it with upper level air," Baidya Roy told TechNewsDaily.
The mixing heats up the air at night and in the early morning, and cools air during the day.
...but this is bad?
