Data from a meteorological field campaign show that utility-scale wind farms can significantly affect near-surface air temperatures, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study used 25-year climate dataset and found that the weather effects result from enhanced vertical mixing due to turbulence generated by wind turbine rotors. The impacts of wind farms on local weather can be minimized by changing rotor design or by siting wind farms in regions with high natural turbulence, according to the study.
SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
