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China has launched the world's largest wind turbine. Scientists are concerned that it will change the weather due to its dimensions

     
Nikola Stránská
20. 10. 2024 ▪ 10:03

It should address climate change, but instead, it might influence the weather itself. This refers to the gigantic wind turbine launched in August by a Chinese energy company. It can produce energy for nearly one hundred thousand households, but its impact on the surroundings is still being studied.

Bude největší větrná turbína na světě měnit počasí? Některé vědecké práce to naznačují
Will the world’s largest wind turbine change the weather? Some scientific studies suggest it might
Photo: Unsplash

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For Chinese comrades, it seems that megalomaniac projects, not only in energy, are nothing unusual. One of the most well-known projects that emerged in China in the field of energy and can be considered a truly massive undertaking is undoubtedly the Three Gorges Dam and hydroelectric power station. Due to its size, according to scientists, it even slowed the Earth's rotation around its axis by several microseconds. Now, another energy project has emerged in the country, again extraordinary – the world's largest wind turbine.

Just like the huge dam, the wind turbine with blades 128 meters long is often criticized. All wind turbines, by the very principle of their operation, change how the wind flows around them. Although similar concerns are still being addressed even with standard wind farms, in the case of the Chinese one, it's obviously something entirely different precisely because of its enormous dimensions.

The gigantic structure, which energy experts commissioned in August, has an installed capacity of 20 MW. In contrast, the output of regular wind turbines is roughly 3-5 MW, so the new turbine is comparable in output to about four standard turbines. According to estimates, a single turbine can supply up to 96,000 households with electric power.

Like similar, although smaller turbines, this one, installed by Mingyang Smart Energy, is not on land but in the coastal area of Hainan province in the South China Sea. The number of installed wind turbines at sea is continuously increasing because wind conditions are significantly better for electricity production than on land.

The turbine stands at an impressive height of 242 meters, and its blades, as previously mentioned, reach a length of 128 meters. These dimensions allow it to capture more wind than ever before, with each blade covering an area larger than two football fields. Thanks to these parameters, the turbine has the potential to significantly contribute to global renewable energy goals. The turbine's efficiency not only reduces the number of devices needed to produce the same amount of energy but also pushes the boundaries of current wind power technology. To withstand extreme conditions, including typhoons, the turbine was designed to endure wind speeds of up to 79.8 m/s.

Due to its size and capacity, the wind turbine not only captures more energy but also alters the airflow around it, resulting in changes in wind speed and temperature distribution. Although these changes are currently only in the initial stages of observation, they are already raising concerns about the long-term impact on weather and regional climate.

Scientists are focusing on a thorough observation of these effects to determine whether this technology can significantly influence, for example, precipitation cycles or other weather elements in the area. In the coastal area where this turbine is located, changes in airflow and temperature can also affect ecosystems, including marine animals and bird migration.

It is certain that similar installations will rapidly increase in the coming years, not only in China. If it were proven that large wind farms do not have an excessive impact on ecosystems and weather not only around them, similar installations could soon begin to populate large portions of coastal areas.

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The original article was published in Czech under the title: Čína spustila největší větrnou turbínu na světě. Vědci se obávají, že bude ovlivňovat počasí