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Large-Scale Solar and Wind Farms in Sahara Would Increase Rain and Vegetation
Sci-News.com ^ | Sept 10, 2018 | News Staff / Source

Posted on 09/10/2018 7:40:03 AM PDT by ETL

Energy generation by wind and solar farms could reduce carbon emissions and thus mitigate anthropogenic climate change.

A new climate-modeling study, published in the journal Science, finds that large-scale installations of wind and solar farms in the Sahara Desert and the neighboring Sahel region — areas particularly desirable for such farms because of their vastness and lack of inhabitants — would increase local temperature, precipitation and vegetation. ..."

“Our study is among the first to model the climate effects of wind and solar installations while taking into account how vegetation responds to changes in heat and precipitation,” Dr. Li said.

“Previous modeling studies have shown that large-scale wind and solar farms can produce significant climate change at continental scales. But the lack of vegetation feedbacks could make the modeled climate impacts very different from their actual behavior.”

The wind and solar farms simulated in the study would cover more than 9 million km2 and generate, on average, about 3 terawatts and 79 terawatts of electrical power, respectively.

“In 2017, the global energy demand was only 18 terawatts, so this is obviously much more energy than is currently needed worldwide,” Dr. Li said.

The model revealed that wind farms caused regional warming of near-surface air temperature, with greater changes in minimum temperatures than maximum temperatures.

“The greater nighttime warming takes place because wind turbines can enhance the vertical mixing and bring down warmer air from above,” the researchers said.

“Precipitation also increased as much as 0.25 mm per day on average in regions with wind farm installation.”

“This was a doubling of precipitation over that seen in the control experiments. In the Sahel, average rainfall increased 1.12 mm per day where wind farms were present,” Dr. Li said.

“This increase in precipitation, in turn, leads to an increase in vegetation cover, creating a positive feedback loop.”

(Excerpt) Read more at sci-news.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Science
KEYWORDS: globalwarminghoax; photovoltaics; sahara; sahel; solarenergy; solarpower
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To: ETL

Climate change! Oh, the horror!


21 posted on 09/10/2018 8:01:41 AM PDT by WKUHilltopper
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To: cuban leaf

Yes and even swampy in places.


22 posted on 09/10/2018 8:03:26 AM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: ETL

Large-Scale Solar and Wind Farms in Sahara Would Increase Rain and may increase the number and intensity of HURRICANES in the UNITED STATES.


23 posted on 09/10/2018 8:05:37 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. (Psalm 32:12))
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To: ETL

If Europe wants to pay for this I say more power to ‘em!


24 posted on 09/10/2018 8:06:16 AM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: Trumpet 1

Liberals NEVER think in terms of systems. If you introduce systems in to the equation, it leads to the answer that we don’t know much, are not in control and there is a design...…………………..


25 posted on 09/10/2018 8:06:41 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: ETL
Doubling the CO2 would green up the whole contunent.
26 posted on 09/10/2018 8:06:59 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Earth: the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: rktman
“In 2017, the global energy demand was only 18 terawatts, so this is obviously much more energy than is currently needed worldwide"

Fair enough. I could buy this.

So, how are they planning to get all this power from Sub-Saharan Africa to, say, Philadelphia?

Not a unique problem. Generation of power is the easy part. Transmission and distribution is the difficult piece. But Liberals don't like to be confused with facts and tough questions.

27 posted on 09/10/2018 8:09:57 AM PDT by wbill
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To: ETL

The only models climate change fanatics have been accurate with is the flow of funds in direct correlation to their dire predictions. Although those models have been degrading as the climate models have shown to be extremely inaccurate.


28 posted on 09/10/2018 8:11:40 AM PDT by robel
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To: ETL
Wow, whoever wrote this doesn't’t know much about the Shara desert or solar and wind power.

Solar power requires a relatively clean environment for photoelectric or mirrored steam systems.

The Shara is a very dusty desert. Dust quickly covers everything.

Wind power requires cooling. Generators do generate a substantial amount of heat. The Shara is hot. If the generator can’t dissipate the heat they quickly shutdown or fail. The generators also will quickly fail due to the abrasive nature of the Shara’s very fine sand and dust getting in to the mechanical workings of the generators.

The Shara is a very hostile environment for most anything man made. Anyone who attempts to build anything in the Shara had better build a pilot version of whatever it is first so they can learn from their failure

29 posted on 09/10/2018 8:12:13 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
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To: cuban leaf; DIRTYSECRET
I believe it was the Greek historian Herodotus who mentioned that North Africa, which had been forested, was by then (~450 BC) a prairie supporting only rabbits and bees (or something like that.)

So it's been getting drier over the centuries.

Except I think, quite recently, it's begun to slightly green up again. Due to more adequate levels of CO2?

30 posted on 09/10/2018 8:14:11 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Earth: the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: rktman

First show me a climate model that actually works. None of them do.


31 posted on 09/10/2018 8:15:15 AM PDT by D Rider
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To: rarestia

Israel has the answers. Look at what they’re producing!


32 posted on 09/10/2018 8:15:21 AM PDT by ExTexasRedhead
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To: JAKraig
Yes, that's what I was thinking of. Thanks.

I think we should shoot for the optimum, 1500 ppm.

Four-fold increase.

Nothing but the best for Mother Earth.

33 posted on 09/10/2018 8:16:28 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Earth: the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: ETL
So build it there then.
There is no EPA to defend some rare desert spider.
Just hire enough people to sweep the sand off the solar cells.
Nobody thinks of the cost to build and maintain a power grid the size of a city's to *collect* the electricity.

34 posted on 09/10/2018 8:19:37 AM PDT by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
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To: rktman

Only a Liberal idiot would wish to INCREASE the temperature in a desert......


35 posted on 09/10/2018 8:19:41 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: RayChuang88

Set up a string of Thorium Molten Salt reactors all along the coastal region of the African countries bordering the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and use them to drive desalination plants, evaporating the sea water and recovering the mineral wealth dissolved in the sea water. The water vapor is released into the atmosphere where it has the multiple effect of COOLING the vast area of the Sahara, and to fall as rain, making a vast increase in the arable land on this continent, and making Africa once again attractive to the vast numbers of migrants who have fled to Europe and elsewhere.

The desert can bloom again.


36 posted on 09/10/2018 8:20:01 AM PDT by alloysteel (If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, bury them in bull feathers.)
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To: ETL

Just an updated “the rain follows the plow (circa 1880’s & 1890’s)” claim.


37 posted on 09/10/2018 8:20:25 AM PDT by jim_trent
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To: D Rider

Call me when the monsoon starts on our wind farms, in the USA SW, Cali., NM, AZ.


38 posted on 09/10/2018 8:24:01 AM PDT by GOYAKLA
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To: ETL

So global energy demand was a mere 18 terawatts. Now, is that energy demand or just electrical energy demand?

A terawatt is a measure of power (energy / time), not energy. I am very wary of those who confuse the two concepts.

The global energy demand is measured in terawatt-hours.


39 posted on 09/10/2018 8:28:03 AM PDT by bagman
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To: RayChuang88

Good post, and points to the correct solution


40 posted on 09/10/2018 8:30:29 AM PDT by KC_for_Freedom
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