Chinese researchers recently carried out a study on the effects of wind farm construction and operation on the local climate and environment. 

These researchers from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) selected an onshore wind farm in North China as a case study to evaluate the impact of a large onshore wind farm on the local climate and ecosystem.  

Wind power has been recognized as an emission-free, green and sustainable energy source, which has led to a rapid growth in the size and number of large-scale wind farms around the world.  

In the past ten years, China has continuously been at the forefront of the global wind energy market, developing approximately 35% of the global installed wind power capacity.  However, the impacts of the rapid installation of wind turbines on regional climates and ecosystems are not clear. In-depth studies are needed to determine what measures should be considered to mitigate its negative impacts. 

In this research, based on data from an onshore wind farm in North China, the researchers analyzed the impact of wind farms on the local climate and ecology, and explained the differences in local and regional climate and environmental characteristics caused by seasonal and diurnal climate changes. 

According to the researchers, after the construction of the studied wind farm, the annual wind speed tended to decrease, air temperature and ground surface temperature showed increasing trends, and evapotranspiration showed a significant increasing trend.  

This study provides some evidence that the operation of wind farms can have measurable impacts on wind, air temperature, ground surface temperature, land surface temperature, and evapotranspiration.  

The temperature (air temperature and land surface temperature) changed greatly over the day and night cycle. Land surface temperature increased and air temperature decreased at night, and both air temperature and land surface temperature decreased during the day. 

The change in land surface temperature was the greatest at the wind farm and in its downwind zone, indicating that the operation of the wind farm affects the land surface temperature within and beyond the 10 km buffer zone.  

Besides, after the wind farm construction, the vegetation activity showed a significant positive trend. However, the higher titanium (Ti) and Co concentrations on the wind farm than in the buffer zone suggest that the construction and operation of wind farms may cause soil pollution.  

In short, wind turbines affected the microclimate of the study area but did not negatively impact vegetation growth, however, they may negatively impact the soil.  

This study is of great significance to the sustainable development of wind energy in North China. In the future, the monitoring of wind farms needs to be strengthened to reveal the long-term impacts of the continued expansion of wind farms on local climates and ecosystems. 

The results have been published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology in an article entitled “Local climatic and environmental effects of an onshore wind farm in North China”.