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Research Article

Global potential for wind-generated electricity

Xi Lu, Michael B. McElroy, and Juha Kiviluoma
  1. aSchool of Engineering and Applied Science, Cruft Lab 211, and
  2. bDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, 100E Peirce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; and
  3. cVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P. O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Finland

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PNAS first published June 22, 2009; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0904101106
Xi Lu
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Michael B. McElroy
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  • For correspondence: mbm@seas.harvard.edu
Juha Kiviluoma
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  1. Communicated by James G. Anderson, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, April 29, 2009 (received for review November 6, 2008)

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Abstract

The potential of wind power as a global source of electricity is assessed by using winds derived through assimilation of data from a variety of meteorological sources. The analysis indicates that a network of land-based 2.5-megawatt (MW) turbines restricted to nonforested, ice-free, nonurban areas operating at as little as 20% of their rated capacity could supply >40 times current worldwide consumption of electricity, >5 times total global use of energy in all forms. Resources in the contiguous United States, specifically in the central plain states, could accommodate as much as 16 times total current demand for electricity in the United States. Estimates are given also for quantities of electricity that could be obtained by using a network of 3.6-MW turbines deployed in ocean waters with depths <200 m within 50 nautical miles (92.6 km) of closest coastlines.

Footnotes

  • 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mbm{at}seas.harvard.edu
  • Author contributions: X.L. and M.B.M. designed research; X.L. and M.B.M. performed research; X.L., M.B.M., and J.K. analyzed data; and X.L., M.B.M., and J.K. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

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Global potential for wind-generated electricity
Xi Lu, Michael B. McElroy, Juha Kiviluoma
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jun 2009, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904101106

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Global potential for wind-generated electricity
Xi Lu, Michael B. McElroy, Juha Kiviluoma
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jun 2009, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904101106
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