Wind turbines extract kinetic energy from the air around them, and since less energy makes for weaker winds, turbines do indeed make it less windy. Technically speaking, the climate zone right behind a turbine (or behind all the turbines on a wind farm) experiences what’s called a “wind speed vacuum,” or a “momentum deficit.” In other words, the air slows down.
The effect has implications for wind-farm efficiency. Upwind turbines in a densely packed farm may weaken the breeze before it reaches the downwind ones. It could even have a more general impact. If wind farms were constructed on a truly massive scale, their cumulative momentum deficit could conceivably alter wind speeds on a global scale
The same geniuses who worry about miniscule effects related to CO2, have no problem with causing major changes to global wind patterns.
If we build enough wind farms, we might be able to slow down the speed of the earths rotation.
More friction between earth and its atmosphere causes heat, and that would lead to global warming.
There would be no need for daylight saving then. We could all go back to normal time zones. Sounds doable.
These morons are saying they have computer models suggesting wind farms can decrease the severity of hurricanes:
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-weather/hurricanes/article/Study-Huge-wind-turbine-farm-could-cut-hurricane-5269675.php?cmpid=hpts
Of course, the thing about computer models is…they’re just models:
http://youtu.be/hcwBSzW4t64
Compared with how many buildings are erected that change wind patterns, the effect of the number of wind turbines being built in the foreseeable future would be miniscule. On the other hand, some of your twitter friends seem to think that some structures are immune to the laws of physics.
buildings do on extract energy from the wind if they did we would not need to build wind-farms we could kus plug the buildings into the national grid.
In short you are very wrong.
There is a “wind speed vacuum” between the ears of all alarmists and most government climate scientists. You can tell from the little propellor hats they wear.
Turbines are more likely to cause cooling then warming:
http://tallbloke.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/offshore-wind-farm-clouds-wake-effect.jpg
Tallbloke, those cloud wakes are water vapor condensing into clouds. Condensation is a warming process, releases latent heat.
based on what? that picture is meaning less in backing up your statement. and as morgan says the opposite is true from the condensation, that is on top of the warm effect due to slowing the convection currents which cool the planet.
Wind farms can cause climate change, finds new study | via @Telegraph http://fw.to/S5uuvrc
Just now: “Offshore wind farms can protect coastal cities from hurricanes: scientists”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/26/offshore-wind-farms-can-protect-coastal-cities-from-hurricanes-scientists/
Slower windspeeds downwind of wind turbine farms can reduce surface evaporation via convection, and reduce rainfall further downwind.
Highly doubt a little bit of surface friction will significantly slow a hurricane, though.
Doc, After “adjustments” it will be found wind turbines can cause every possible desire.
I can see a new publicity campaign to popularize wind turbines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdqh0GsXMII
If they will give me $1m I’ll go out there and measure wind speeds upstream and downstream and with a few adjustments I’ll give my backer the results they want!
When a wind farm is hit by a 155-mph hurricane, how many windmills will be destroyed? How many of them will be turned into high-velocity projectiles?
If we assume that they are right and wind farms do cause climatic changes, then we would have a responsibility to avoid the risk of massive disaster by avoiding construction of wind turbines. We cannot afford to take unknown risks with the climate.