How Wind Turbines Can Cause Climate Changes
This year across many rural areas of the United States, citizens have placed signs on their property, voicing their disapproval of constructing more wind turbines. There are legitimate points for either side of the argument.
On one hand, wind-generated power is relatively simple to acquire, exists in abundance, and does not exhaust the Earth’s natural resources. Turbines have even been shown to possibly increase the rainfall, and the flora growth, in the Sahara. (This in and of itself could bring about a type of climate change.)
On the other, wind turbines have been associated with injury to airborne wildlife and audible/vibrational irritations to people living nearby wind farms. However, another con to the large-scale implementation of nationwide wind farms has recently been brought to the public’s attention in light of science. Carolyn Gramling of Sciencenews.org writes on how these towering machines “add a little heat of their own to the planet.”
If the U.S. were to manufacture and put into place enough wind turbines across the country to generate the amount of energy required to power the U.S., then we would instantly see an upward spurt in the air temperature. It is estimated such an action would result in the temperature rising by 0.24 degrees Celsius.
In simulations, the possible impact of wind turbines on the United States shows its greatest effects in the middle of the country, around which (at least in the simulation) the most wind turbines have been situated. Wind turbines cause climatic fluctuations in the boundary layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. The friction of the spinning of a turbine’s blades creates a rise in temperature. This movement forces the warm air from the boundary layer into the cooler layer beneath it, thus warming it up.
It is hoped that, in the future, wind turbines are not the only source of energy being invested in. It is likely the country and the world will run on power attained by a combination of wind, solar, and geothermal energy resources.
Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally featured on Of Intellect and Interest’s main site here.
