The wind power potentially could produce 40 times more electricity than worldwide energy consumption annually, according to research led by Professor of Planetary Sciences Department of Earth and Harvard University Michael B. McElroy. Only the U.S. has enough wind resources to cover wind technology with 16 times its electricity demand.
The study by Harvard University in USA is published in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ (PNAS).
The study examines the potential of this renewable energy sources globally, thanks to data obtained by a program of NASA’s Goddard Institute that includes observations taken by a combination of satellites, airplanes, balloons, buoys, sensors and ships. “In short, a range of observations which can obtain the best possible world weather forecasts through retrospective analysis,” says McElroy at his office.
To estimate the global potential of wind energy, McElroy and his team had to obtain global data on the dynamics of wind and then estimate how wind generation capacity has every country in the world, both on land and in the parks located in the sea (offshore). To the data were as realistic as possible, the researchers excluded the cities and highly populated areas, forested areas, inland waters and places with snow. In addition, the study excluded those regions in which the mills could not get by with 20% of its average capacity at the end of the year.
The study of the potential of offshore wind energy took place in areas with depths less than 200 meters and located less than 50 nautical miles (92.6 kilometers) from shore.
Although the results obtained McElroy’s team are real production data that could be generated with turbines of 2.5 megawatts (MW) onshore and 3.6 MW at sea, this is a study that analyzes the global potential of this energy source, but is aware that in the scenario that provides the theoretical analysis would not only place in the world to another land use. “Our study is not intended to create a global network of wind farms,” said Michael McElroy, “Our main intention is to show that some of the highest wind potential in the world are in the 10 countries that are currently the largest emitters of greenhouse world.”
According to lead researcher in these places, including China, USA, Russia or India, wind power would replace the largely coal-fired geothermal plants.
McElroy says the problem of production variability can be solved by building networks that cater to large geographic regions. “If the wind does not blow in Spain, you can do in northern Germany or Ireland,” says McElroy, “with an integrated European network could solve the intrinsic problem of wind variability.
Wind turbines provide electricity, which can be stored in pumping stations, and in the near future in large batteries and electric vehicles.
If there is political will, wind and renewable energy will move the world, no CO2 emissions or radioactive waste, and without provoking a conflict after another to do with oil.
