Wind Power Gets Airborne
The motherlode of wind energy up, up in the air, say scientists. A handful of new technologies are being developed to harvest it at the source, roughly six miles up.
Cristina Archer, assistant professor of energy, meteorology and environmental science in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at California State University, Chico, released a report last year about the tremendous potential.
From Miller-McCune: ""The total wind energy in the jet streams is roughly 100 times the global energy demand," Archer wrote. "Because of their abundance, strength and relative persistency, jet stream winds are of particular interest in wind power development."
Archer estimates energy demand at between 2 trillion and 2.5 trillion watts. About 6 miles up, jet stream winds, even though they don't blow hard all the time even at that height, could generate around 200 trillion watts."
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Published on Monday, November 2, 2009 in
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