The Tehachapi Wind Farm in California. The turbines produce enough electricity to meet the needs of 350,000 people each year (Photo courtesy of the Department Energy)
Concerns about climate change and energy have lead to new alternative energy sources. But some of them have their own problems. Lester Graham reports a researcher has raised a new concern about wind turbines:
Transcript
Concerns about climate change and energy have lead to new alternative energy sources. But some of them have their own problems. Lester Graham reports a researcher has raised a new concern about wind turbines:
Environmentalists are already worried about the turbines wrecking scenic views, the spinning blades killing birds, and making noise.
Add another concern. Big windfarms can change the local climate. Somnath Baidya Roy is an atmospheric scientist at the University of Illinois. He says the turbines cause wind turbulence.
“This mixing leads to a .2 degree warming and some increasing evapotranspiration and some reduction in humidity.”
That could be a problem for areas that are already hot and dry like crop fields in places like Texas or Oklahoma.
“On the other hand, if you are in, for example, Nebraska, that warming would imply a slightly longer growing season which is obviously going to be helpful to the farmers.”
Baidya Roy says engineers should be aware of the wind turbine impacts on the nearby climate.
For the Environment Report, this
is Lester Graham.