Resources and Reflections

October 1, 2005 — Wind farms may have an impact on local weather patterns. As environmental engineers have discovered, wind farm propellers create a lot of turbulence in their wake, mixing air up and down with effects that can be detected for miles. But more efficient rotors may significantly reduce this problem. 

DURHAM, N.C.–You’ve seen the prices at the pump go up and now home heating costs are on the rise. And scientists are looking to the wind for a much needed alternative to fuel.

They’re the things that fuel our lives, but what fuels them is running low. Scientists may have found an answer with wind farms. Somnath Baidya Roy, from the department of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University in Durham, N.C., says, “It’s very clear to everybody that we have to move away from conventional fossil fuels like coal and oil and look at alternatives.”

With a new power source comes an impact to our environment. Roy says, “Large wind farms can significantly affect local meteorology.” He studied these massive machines and believes wind farms can actually impact our weather because wind turns the blades of the turbine around a rotor, which helps generate electricity the blades create a lot of turbulence in the wake

Duke University