On the potential change in wind power over the US due to increases of atmospheric greenhouse gases

Wind power (WP) is a likely source of renewable energy to reduce fossil CO₂ atmospheric emissions. However, WP availability might be affected by climate changes induced by such emissions. In this study a refined regional climate model, appropriate for resolving near-surface flows, was used to generate WP climatologies for the US consistent with present and mid-21st century enhanced atmospheric CO₂ level. In both cases the regional climate simulation was forced by lateral boundary conditions based on simulations of the Hadley Centre general circulation model. Simulated present WP showed reasonable general agreement with patterns observed in most locations. In most of the US the enhanced CO₂ simulation showed a trend of decreased daily average WP availability in the range of 0–30%. However, in limited areas in the southern and northwestern US, an increase in WP, peaking at 30%, was simulated. Under the enhanced CO₂ climate scenario, the present relatively high WP availability in northern Texas and western Oklahoma, as well as in the northwest US, are almost unaffected. A decline in WP is simulated in the north–central US and the western mountainous region.