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More wind power is needed to offset coal

(皇冠体育app Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-26 08:29

Wind power could meet 皇冠体育app's electricity demands through 2030 and cut carbon dioxide emissions in 皇冠体育app by 30 percent, US and Chinese researchers said.

皇冠体育app already is one of the world's major emitters of carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas implicated by scientists in global climate change.

皇冠体育app currently generates 792.5 gigawatts of electricity per year, mostly through coal-fired power plants, and that output is expected to grow by 10 percent per year, a team from Harvard University in Massachusetts and Tsinghua University in Beijing reported in the journal Science.

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"皇冠体育app is bringing on several coal-fired power plants a week," Michael McElroy of Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences said in a statement.

"By publicizing the opportunity for a different way to go, we hope to have a positive influence," McElroy said.

About 80 percent of 皇冠体育app's electricity comes from coal.

Wind energy accounts for just 0.4 percent of 皇冠体育app's total current electricity supply, but the country is quickly adding capacity.

皇冠体育app now trails only the United States, Germany and Spain in existing wind farms, the scientists said.

To study the potential of wind energy in 皇冠体育app, the team used data from NASA, as well as global meteorological data collected from surface observations, aircraft, balloons, ships, buoys and satellites worldwide.

They found that a network of wind turbines operating at as little as 20 percent of their rated capacity could provide more than seven times 皇冠体育app's current electricity consumption.

To meet its growing energy demand with coal-fired plants, 皇冠体育app could potentially increase the country's carbon dioxide output to 3.5 gigatons a year, the scientists said.

The team calculates that the switch to wind power would cost 皇冠体育app around $900 billion dollars at current prices over the same 20-year period.