TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of large-scale wind power on global climate
AU - Keith, David W.
AU - DeCarolis, Joseph F.
AU - Denkenberger, David C.
AU - Lenschow, Donald H.
AU - Malyshev, Sergey L.
AU - Pacala, Stephen Wilson
AU - Rasch, Philip J.
PY - 2004/11/16
Y1 - 2004/11/16
N2 - Large-scale use of wind power can alter local and global climate by extracting kinetic energy and altering turbulent transport in the atmospheric boundary layer. We report climate-model simulations that address the possible climatic impacts of wind power at regional to global scales by using two general circulation models and several parameterizations of the interaction of wind turbines with the boundary layer. We find that very large amounts of wind power can produce nonnegligible climatic change at continental scales. Although large-scale effects are observed, wind power has a negligible effect on global-mean surface temperature, and it would deliver enormous global benefits by reducing emissions of CO2 and air pollutants. Our results may enable a comparison between the climate impacts due to wind power and the reduction in climatic impacts achieved by the substitution of wind for fossil fuels.
AB - Large-scale use of wind power can alter local and global climate by extracting kinetic energy and altering turbulent transport in the atmospheric boundary layer. We report climate-model simulations that address the possible climatic impacts of wind power at regional to global scales by using two general circulation models and several parameterizations of the interaction of wind turbines with the boundary layer. We find that very large amounts of wind power can produce nonnegligible climatic change at continental scales. Although large-scale effects are observed, wind power has a negligible effect on global-mean surface temperature, and it would deliver enormous global benefits by reducing emissions of CO2 and air pollutants. Our results may enable a comparison between the climate impacts due to wind power and the reduction in climatic impacts achieved by the substitution of wind for fossil fuels.
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0406930101
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0406930101
M3 - Article
C2 - 15536131
AN - SCOPUS:9244246787
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 101
SP - 16115
EP - 16120
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 46
ER -