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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg But a 10% fall in peak winds could translate into a 27% reduction in energy (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/11/windpower-renewable-climate-change)

http://www.youtube.com/v/LH_Zs7vIVTw&hl=en&fs=1&Suzanne Goldenberg - GUARDIAN (http://www.guardian.co.uk) - June 11, 2009

This is very preliminary and far from certain at this point --Ed.

The great gusting winds of the American midwest – and possibly the hopes for the most promising clean energy source – may be dying, in part because of climate change, according to a new report.

A study, due to be published in August in the peer-reviewed Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests that average and peak winds may have been slowing across the midwest and eastern states since 1973.

The authors of the study note that their findings are preliminary and some of their data is ambiguous. But the study, based on measurements gathered from wind towers across the midwest raises the possibility of yet another new side effect from global warming: declining wind speeds.

"We have noted there have been some periods in the past ... where there was a pretty substantial decrease in wind speed for 12 consecutive months," Eugene Takle, the director of the climate science initiative at Iowa State University and one of the authors of the study, said. "We suspect that it's some large-scale influence that we don't yet understand."... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/11/windpower-renewable-climate-change

There are several studies. While they agree that wind seems to be less, they also admit to changes in data collection and no certainty in what is causing the reduction, if any.

However, climate models (assuming the are correct) can demonstate how global warming could reduce winds. Makes solar options seem like a better choice, expecially in "if'y" climents where global warming should reduce effects of snow of system performance during winter. However, I do hope no one things this is a good reason to abandon wind tech....its still a major producer of renewable energy and can still grow a great deal.

I might be overthinking this, but I think the wind will be faster (just barely).

However, I think the force exerted by that wind will be less due to the lower air density. Yeah, pretty much a wash.

There's an interesting, and mostly easy-to-read, take on this article at Real Climate (http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/06/winds-of-change/#more-688). The upshot is that wind variability relies on way, way too many factors for anyone to claim a substantial connection between wind and global warming.

There's an interesting, and mostly easy-to-read, take on this article at Real Climate (http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/06/winds-of-change/#more-688). The upshot is that wind variability relies on way, way too many factors for anyone to claim a substantial connection between wind and global warming.

Quite true, there are far too many variables to consider when doing these types of studies on the wind. But when it comes to less wind providing power for wind farms, then the solution is easy. Re-engineer the airfoils on future wind farms to compensate.