Wind power - is it limitless?

Innys

This is not strictly the correct place to ask this question, but what the hell...

We all know there's currently a rush to build windfarms. What do you guys think will be the effect, if any, on the earth's climate if wind energy is siphoned off in this way? Is the energy limitless as it, ultimately, originates from the sun?

Just a thought

Premier_2

Well the sun will burn itself out one day too...but not in my lifetime, nor that of my children, nor my children's children, nor my ch........

But when it does, there's nothing anyone will be able to do to stop it.

jd87

Each wind turbine we build does take energy out of the wind, it slows the wind down slightly. So what you are asking is, if we build enough wind turbines, will the wind stop? It's all about scale. To stop the circulation of air in the lower atmosphere I think we would have to cover the whole planet (including the oceans) with wind turbines bigger than the tallest skyscrapers.

junkmayle

I dont know about wind but the tidal power station at St Malo in France HAS been calculated to slow down the rotation of the Earth very slightly. Once again, the Earth would stop rotating of its own accord in the far future anyway but I cant imagine any man made structure, however many are built, that would present a problem with 1000s of years.