According to a new research finding by Sara Pryor and Co-author Rebecca Barthelmie, Atmospheric Science professors from the Indiana University, Bloomington, wind energy generation for the next 30 to 50 years in the US will mostly remain unaffected due to the rise in global temperature.
The researchers utilized a three separate regional climate models for their research. The study addresses the paucity of information over the areas such as long-term wind energy usage, impact of global warming on wind energy generation in terms of wind mass or changes in wind direction.
The research report was published in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.
The researchers have used three dissimilar climate models such as Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM), the U.S developed Regional Climate Model 3 and the UK developed Hadley Centre Model to understand the existing wind density changes in the US. All the three regional climate models were interconnected to provide results from one general circulation model of atmospheric-ocean to get details on wind density changes over the study area, which includes a part of northern Mexico and the 48 lower states.
The research utilized the data on past wind density during 1979 to 2000 and compared it with the model wind projections from 2041 to 2062 to predict that the future will see negligible or no change in wind density. It anticipates greater wind power generation opportunities for locations such as eastern New Mexico, southern Texas, atop the Great Lakes, southwestern Ohio, and belt areas of a number of Mexican states, which includes Durango, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon. The report also observes increased level of wind speed at higher heights above the ground. The wind predictions are expected to be utilized by the energy producers and the government policy makers to achieve the promised 20% wind power production by the year 2030.
The work of the researchers was sustained by funding from National Science Foundation, the IU Center for Research in Environmental Sciences and the International Atomic Energy Authority. North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) has provided the model wind output of the research program.