Research from the University of Colorado on wind data from Australia, Canada and the US, shows careful spacing of turbines can keep the power on
Wind turbines are becoming a familiar feature in the British landscape, and last year nearly 10% of the UK’s electricity demand was met by wind power (compared with 1.5% in 2007). The UK is considered to be one of the best locations in the world for wind power, but what happens when the wind fails to blow? The unreliability of wind is one of the most common criticisms of this form of power, but a new study shows that if you arrange your turbines carefully you can almost always catch a breeze.
If it is blowing a gale down at Lizard point in Cornwall, will the wind also be whistling across Lincolnshire, or howling through Inverness? Over short distances the weather tends to be similar, but travel further and it can often be a very different picture.