Wind power vulnerable to climate change in India

The warming of the Indian Ocean, caused by global climate change, may be causing a slow decline in wind power potential in India, according to a new study from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Harvard China Project.

 The research, published in Science Advances, calculates the wind power potential in India over the past four decades and finds that trends in wind power are tied to the strength of the Indian Summer Monsoon. In fact, 63 percent of the annual energy production from wind in India comes from the monsoon winds of spring and summer. Over the past 40 years, that energy potential has declined about 13 percent, suggesting that as the monsoon weakened, wind power systems installed during this time became less productive.

 Our findings can provide suggestions on where to build more wind turbines to minimize the influences of climate change," said Michael B. McElroy, the Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies and senior author of the study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181205142703.htm