Researchers analyzing a decade's worth of data from the NASA QuikSCAT satellite, which looks at wind patterns over the ocean, say that the information could be used to determine the most effective places to locate wind farms for power generation.
With fossil fuels getting more expensive and more unpopular every day, wind power is a booming industry. Obviously, some places are more suitable than others for wind turbines, and the open ocean is generally far windier than land. That's where QuikSCAT comes in.
The satellite records the speed, direction and power of winds as they sweep over the surface of the ocean. That means it's an ideal tool for finding locations where the wind is strong and continuous, minimizing power generation downtime. Tim Liu, lead author of the study which reveals the QuikSCAT data, notes that recent technology has for the first time made wind farms in the open ocean practical (open sea wind power generation would not only be more efficient than close to shore turbines, but less likely to offend the aesthetic sensibilities of wealthy coastal dwellers.)
Among the notably windy locations so far are areas off the coasts of California, Tasmania, and Tierra Del Fuego.
via [NASA]
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