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“The world today produces 70 — 80 million cars every year. We only need four million turbines once every 30 years,” Jacobson reasoned, arguing it was certainly feasible….

Study says wind could power the world  Perth Now, AAP September 11, 2012  THERE’S enough wind to power the world many times over but it would take a massive infrastructure investment to harness it that analysts say is not realistic.

As the world seeks to lessen its reliance on fossil fuels like coal
and natural gas, renewable energy sources like wind and solar power
are being developed as alternatives.

Contrary to some other recent studies, analysis of climate data in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates wind
turbines could harness hundreds of terawatts of electricity, far more
than is needed to power the globe, even when accounting for the
interplay between the groupings of turbines in so-called “wind farms”.

To reach that maximum potential, according to study author Mark
Jacobson, it would require 1.5 billion massive windmills to be
installed on and offshore.

That’s far more than you would need to meet the world’s actual energy
demands, the Stanford University engineer said, but you would still
need many millions  more turbines than currently exist.

Even with substantial recent investments in wind power, “the total
installed wind capacity worldwide is around 250 gigawatts”, or about a
hundredth of what is needed to power half the world for electricity,
cooling, and everything else.

Jacobson envisions a very different future.

He estimated it would take four million five-megawatt turbines —
bigger than most currently in use — to power half of 2030’s energy
needs.

“The world today produces 70 — 80 million cars every year. We only need four million turbines once every 30 years,” Jacobson reasoned, arguing it was certainly feasible……
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/study-says-wind-could-power-the-world/story-e6frg13l-1226471572720

September 12, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general