Journal
HELIYON
Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12879
Keywords
Wind farms; Wind turbines; Wind speed
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The proportion of global electricity generated by wind is increasing. Concerns about the impact of onshore wind farms on local winds and ecosystems exist. This study evaluates the long-term effects of onshore wind farms on wind speeds and distribution patterns using Terra-Climate and ERA5 datasets. The results suggest that the impact of wind farms on global wind speeds is minimal and far less than other natural phenomena such as oceanic/atmospheric oscillations.
The proportion of global electricity generated by wind is increasing. There are concerns that onshore wind farms may affect local winds and/or patterns, with impacts on local ecosystems. Global-scale evaluations of these impacts are lacking. To investigate this issue, we used Terra-Climate and ERA5 datasets covering the years 1980-1999 to judge the impact of onshore wind farms on wind speeds (at 10 m and 100 m elevations) and their distribution patterns. Winds were compared in two periods approximately representing periods without (1980-1999) and with (2001-2020) large-scale wind farms in existence. The TerraClimate dataset shows that 10 m wind speeds decreased at wind farm locations, while the wind speed distribution patterns did not change significantly. However, in the densest wind farm areas, the 10 m wind speeds actually increased. Analysis of the ERA5 data showed no significant changes in 10 m and 100 m wind speeds or distribution patterns at wind farm locations. The influence of wind farms on local and global wind speeds was slight and far less than that of oceanic/atmospheric oscillations. In the long term, the potential for onshore wind farms to reduce global wind speeds or affect their distribution patterns is very small.
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