Well, that’s a slight (gross) exaggeration, but no doubt some in the anti-renewables lobby will attempt to amplify the findings of a recent study. We thought we’d try to grab your attention first.
The study by researchers from State University of New York found masses of wind turbines may have noticeable impacts on local and regional weather and climate.
In a letter published in Nature Climate Change, evidence for this phenomenon is based on the analysis of satellite data over a region in central Texas during 2003 to 2011.
The area, which hosts four of the world’s largest wind farms, showed a significant warming trend of up to 0.72 °C per decade, with the most marked changes occurring during night-time.
“We attribute this warming primarily to wind farms as its spatial pattern and magnitude couples very well with the geographic distribution of wind turbines,” writes the letter’s author.
A related story on ABC News features commentary from Australian climate scientist Professor Nigel Tapper on the research, who states any modification of a landscape will have an impact on air temperatures.
“The critical thing is that it’s a local effect and one we need to understand,” says Professor Tapper. “The question is whether that local effect is offsetting the generation of power from coal-fired power stations.”
As the ABC notes, such studies shouldn’t be discounted as they can play an important role in determining the impact of wind farms on local ecosystems.
But let’s face facts – wind and solar power really are evil. Wind power is also threatening Earth’s orbit and solar panels are sucking the sun dry according to a shocking (satirical) report released last year by the The Onion – “The World’s Finest News Source” (report after the ad):
Remember, the sun doesn’t get free refills and wind contaminating water can lead to “wind in brain syndrome” – a frightening prospect. We have been warned.
