Global Wind Energy Expansion: Gauging Vulnerabilities to Climate Change
Embargo until
Date
2016-08-24T19:41:51Z
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Global demand for low emission renewable energy production continues to intensify.
Wind turbine power plants, which harness the kinetic energy from wind to generate electricity,
continue to proliferate due to the technology’s high scalability, ease of deployment, capacity for
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ability to diversify energy portfolios, and for meeting world
energy demands. Herein a review is conducted of the investments being made in wind energy
technologies by the United States of America, the European Union, the People’s Republic of China,
and the Republic of India. As technology advances Geographic Information Systems are being utilized
to quantify the wind resources in a given region and to locate the best possible sites for wind
energy development. Many renewable energy technologies, including wind energy, are dependent on
many factors of which climatic conditions are essential. As the climate changes, the wind resource
is vulnerable to positively or negatively change on a regional basis and as such the total
electricity output from wind turbines could be directly impacted. As the investment in renewable
energies has become a determining factor in the adaptation and mitigation of climate change, in
addition to addressing rising global energy demands, it is necessary for future wind siting
assessments to consider how a changing climate may jeopardize
the continued exploitation of wind energy and the security of investments.
Description
Keywords
climate change, renewable energy, wind energy