With global temperatures increasing, researchers analyze the effects of temperature differences on wind patterns. Multiple studies confirm the possibility of wind resources declining across the Northern Hemisphere, reducing the energy potential of wind turbines. Familiar with the studies, Dan Kammen adds that the phenomenon is “a disturbing but entirely expected consequence of climate change.”
However, it is not a game changer — according to study author Kristopher Karnauskas of the University of Colorado, Boulder, “Wind power should still be considered an important part of the portfolio of renewable investments, as part of the broader strategy to reduce carbon emissions and so forth. And as renewables, including wind, are a part of the strategy, it’s just important to make sure we fully understand how the potential efficacy of that strategy may be changing concurrently with the problem itself.”
For more information, read the Washington Post and Scientific American articles.
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