A wind “power” doubleshot today.On the bright side, there aren’t that many wind farms
(Reuters) Large wind farms might have a warming effect on the local climate, research in the United States showed on Sunday, casting a shadow over the long-term sustainability of wind power.
Researchers at the State University of New York at Albany analysed the satellite data of areas around large wind farms in Texas, where four of the world’s largest farms are located, over the period 2003 to 2011.
The results, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, showed a warming trend of up to 0.72 degrees Celsius per decade in areas over the farms, compared with nearby regions without the farms.
This is happening particularly at night, where the warmer air is drawn down when it should be cooling, much like happens when you put your ceiling fan on reverse.
