Global Warming May Be Reducing Wind Speeds in Europe | OilPrice.com
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Breaking News:
Global warming makes Europe’s summers less windy, which reduces wind power generation and could strain European electricity systems which are increasingly relying on renewable energy, new research suggests.
The warming of the layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface and the warming of the earth’s surface are increasing the instances of the so-called “stilling” phenomenon in which wind speeds drop in the summers, according to modeling from a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign cited by Bloomberg.
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Even small declines in wind speeds could slash wind power generation, the lead researcher Gan Zhang, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Bloomberg.
“The energy system is a marginal market,” Zhang said. “That means if you change the margin by 5 to 10%, the price response can be huge,” the scientist added.
A decline in wind speeds has been observed in other parts of the northern hemisphere such as the middle latitudes in North America.
Europe, however, has suffered the most from the lower wind speeds, especially in the past few months.
For example, Germany has been experiencing lower-than-normal winds for four months, which have reduced wind power generation, boosting electricity prices and the reliance on fossil fuels.
The German predicament, where wind speeds have been below average for extended periods of time since October 2024, is affecting regional prices as Germany’s utilities are also raising electricity imports from neighboring countries.
At the end of last year, wind speeds in Germany slumped in the so-called ‘Dunkelflaute’ period in which there is a lull in wind speeds. This sent power prices in northwestern European countries surging and nations have had to rely more on fossil fuels such as natural gas to meet demand.
The lower wind power generation, Germany’s largest source of electricity, has extended from the end of 2024 to the early weeks of 2025, too.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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