Windfarms could be able to generate more energy due to phenomenon, says report
The global climate crisis could lead to more renewable electricity being generated by spurring faster wind speeds for the world’s growing number of windfarms, according to research.
Scientists have discovered that the world’s shifting ocean circulation patterns may have triggered a rapid increase in wind speeds over the last 10 years.
The international research team analysed data from 9,000 international weather stations since the late 1970s and found that wind speeds had unexpectedly increased after a three-decade slowdown.
Climate change: do more now or risk catastrophe, warns energy agency
Dr Zhenzhong Zeng, a professor at Princeton University and the lead author of the report, said the research team was surprised by the findings after setting out to study the slowdown in global wind speeds.
The faster than expected wind speeds could help increase the amount of renewable electricity generated by each turbine by more than a third to 3.3m kilowatt hours (kWh) by 2024.
Zeng said the unexpected acceleration is likely to have played a bigger role in improving the efficiency of windfarms in the US than technological innovations.
The research paper, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change, suggests that faster global speeds may continue for at least another decade in what would be a major boost for windfarm owners.
Dr Adrian Chappell, a professor at Cardiff University and a co-author of the report, said the rapid increase in global wind speed bodes well for the expansion of renewable energy which will be central to keeping global heating to below 2C.
The findings mark a major reversal in a trend of decreasing wind speeds over the last three decades – known as global terrestrial stilling – which threatened to halve the world’s wind power potential by the end of the century.
Previous studies have found that increased “roughness” on the Earth’s surface, from new buildings and urbanisation, has acted as a buffer by slowing wind speeds by up to 2.3% every decade since the late 1970s. But the latest research has demonstrated that large-scale ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns could be making wind speeds faster again.
The study found that the main drivers of the world’s quickening wind speeds were the Pacific decadal oscillation, the North Atlantic oscillation and the Tropical North Atlantic index.
Zeng said that the effect of global heating on the world’s wind speeds remained largely uncertain because rising temperatures would have a diverse range of impacts that are not fully understood.
“We believe our study advances [the] understanding on how climate change affects wind, and we appeal for more scientists to focus on this important climate variable,” he said. “The study of wind can also shed light on the dynamic mechanisms of climate change.”
- The article was updated on 19 November 2019 to reflect a correction notice from Cardiff University. The original press statement said higher wind speeds could help increase wind power output by more than a third to 3.3m kilowatt hours (kWh) by 2024. After publication, the university said the figures refer to the output of one wind turbine. This has been corrected.
2020 will be...
… a defining year. These are perilous times. And we're asking for your help as we prepare for 2020. Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened - democracy, civility, truth. This US administration is establishing new norms of behaviour. Anger and cruelty disfigure public discourse and lying is commonplace. Truth is being chased away. But with your help we can continue to put it center stage.
Rampant disinformation, partisan news sources and social media's tsunami of fake news is no basis on which to inform the American public in 2020. The need for a robust, independent press has never been greater, and with your help we can continue to provide fact-based reporting that offers public scrutiny and oversight. We are also committed to keeping our journalism open and accessible to everyone and with your help we can keep it that way.
"Next year America faces an epic choice - and the result could define the country for a generation. It is at a tipping point, finely balanced between truth and lies, hope and hate, civility and nastiness. Many vital aspects of American public life are in play - the Supreme Court, abortion rights, climate policy, wealth inequality, Big Tech and much more. The stakes could hardly be higher. As that choice nears, the Guardian, as it has done for 200 years, and with your continued support, will continue to argue for the values we hold dear - facts, science, diversity, equality and fairness." – US editor, John Mulholland
On the occasion of its 100th birthday in 1921 the editor of the Guardian said, "Perhaps the chief virtue of a newspaper is its independence. It should have a soul of its own." That is more true than ever. Freed from the influence of an owner or shareholders the Guardian's robust independence is our unique driving force and guiding principle.
