The results of the study, which was recently conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Albany, New York, raised fears that wind farms can lead to a significant increase in the temperature of the earth. According to researchers, it may even become a serious obstacle to further development of wind energy. Researchers examined data from meteorological satellites, Nolan and Taylor received on the territory of West Texas, which are four largest U.S. wind power. They found that over the past 10 years the temperature of the earth at night has increased by 0.72 degrees Celsius, compared with areas where there are no wind turbines. (For the record, the growth rate of global warming associated with excessive fuel combustion accounts for only around 0.2 degrees Celsius over the same period).
However, the researchers say, and that before coming to any conclusions, further research is needed. In particular, the same data from weather satellites to be collected in other parts of the United States and around the world, where the installed wind power, and carefully analyzed. In addition, scientists warn that the data on such localized "greenhouse effect" should not be compared with data on global warming.
Raising the temperature of the earth in a particular area may be due to two reasons. One is the heat dissipated by the wind turbines and associated electrical transformers and switches. Another factor may be a localized warming of the warm air, which is due to operation of wind turbines is moved from the upper to the lower layers of the atmosphere.
What kind of threat is a "greenhouse effect" in a particular area? First, it is worth noting that the land on which wind turbines are installed and actively used by farmers to grow crops. Therefore, if the findings are confirmed, and the growth temperature of the earth affect the decline in yields, farmers will no longer use the land for agricultural purposes.This in turn could lead to a decrease in the production of cereals and other crops and as a consequence, the emergence of an unfavorable situation with the provision of food.
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