Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Kate Ravilious

Global heating could raise potential for offshore wind power, study says

Rows of wind turbines in the sea.
Turbines at an offshore windfarm near Nysted, Denmark. Photograph: Tom Little/Reuters

A warmer world could bring more potential for offshore wind energy, according to a new study. Although it doesn’t bear thinking about, with heating of 4C potential offshore wind energy could increase by an average of 9% globally by the end of this century.

Previous research has indicated that global heating will reduce the potential for wind power generation, but there is much uncertainty in how wind patterns will shift, and in particular how surface wind speeds will change over time.

In the new research Cheng Shen, from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues used the latest climate model to assess offshore wind speed under different climate scenarios, and corrected for previous underestimates in surface wind speeds.

The findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, show that the global average potential for offshore wind power generation could increase by anything between 4% and 18%, depending on the emissions scenario, with localised increases as high as 26% over European waters by 2100.

More research is needed to understand the impact of extreme wind events and to map the changes in wind energy at a higher resolution. Such findings will help us better plan where offshore windfarms should be situated, and taking advantage of additional offshore wind capacity sooner rather than later could help us to decarbonise faster.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.