Wind Farms Warming Texas

Discovery News ^ | April 29, 2012 | Eric Niiler

[Free ThinkerNY]

New research finds that wind farms actually warm up the surface of the land underneath them during the night, a phenomena that could put a damper on efforts to expand wind energy as a green energy solution.

Researchers used satellite data from 2003 to 2011 to examine surface temperatures across as wide swath of west Texas, which has built four of the world's largest wind farms. The data showed a direct correlation between night-time temperatures increases of 0.72 degrees C (1.3 degrees F) and the placement of the farms.

"Given the present installed capacity and the projected growth in installation of wind farms across the world, I feel that wind farms, if spatially large enough, might have noticeable impacts on local to regional meteorology," Liming Zhou, associate professor at the State University of New York, Albany and author of the paper published April 29 in Nature Climate Change said in an e-mail to Discovery News.

Analysts say wind power is a good complement to solar power, because winds often blow more strongly at night while solar power is only available during daytime hours. But Zhou and his colleagues found that turbulence behind the wind turbine blades stirs up a layer of cooler air that usually settles on the ground at night, and mixes in warm air that is on top.

[Brilliant]

The title should be: “Green Energy Causes Global Warming.”

[cripplecreek]

D'OH!

[Lurker]

These people aren’t going to be happy until we are all living in caves.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Another goofy liberal idea turns into a disaster. What a bunch of losers.

[Liberty Valance]

Just dang.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

THEOREM: Wind farms cause ACTUAL global warming.

COROLLARY: The universal law of unintended consequences never sleeps.

[Kimmers]

I love so much about living in TX , but dang it all, last summer was beastly hot.........thanks greenies.......

[libertarian27]

Wind Farms Warming Texas

That's a riot!
Bring back coal.

[calljack]

But Zhou and his colleagues found that turbulence behind the wind turbine blades stirs up a layer of cooler air that usually settles on the ground at night, and mixes in warm air that is on top.

so we are talking about mixing of a couple hundred feet of

wait for it..... wait for it..... AIR

And the net difference to the planet is???

[MichaelCorleone]

Maybe, just maybe, it's time to relegate the enviro wackos to the dustbin of history...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Free ThinkerNY.

[dhs12345]

“...a phenomena that could put a damper on efforts to expand wind energy as a green energy solution.”

Don’t count on it. When so called scientists toss the scientific process into the trash by telling us that AWG is real beyond a doubt, logic and reason have nothing to do with it.

[babygene]

A wind farm will essentially take energy (heat) from one area (where it is collected) and transport that energy (heat) to another area maybe hundreds or thousands of miles away.

Of course it changes local climate...

[dhs12345]

Unfortunately, the people responsible for “relegating” are the same enviro wackos.

[Paleo Conservative]

Local Warming Ping!

[Clara Lou]

"It shows that we need to think carefully about the unintended environmental consequences of any large-scale energy development," Dabiri said, "including green technologies."
Really?? Say it ain't so! This also applies to recycling.

[samtheman]

These people aren’t going to be happy until we are all living in caves.

Living in caves, eating turnips, driving donkey carts and dying off in our 40s. That's what THEY want for US.

[MattinNJ]

Hahahahahahahaha

[samtheman]

Just in case there’s anybody in FR who hasn’t seen this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-4gnNz0vc