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Science 6 April 1979:
Vol. 204. no. 4388, pp. 13 - 17
DOI: 10.1126/science.204.4388.13
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Articles

Limits to Wind Power Utilization

M. R. Gustavson 1

1 Associated with the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory of the University of California, Livermore 94550

As wind energy receives increasing attention it is important to understand the noneconomic factors limiting the total power that can be extracted from the wind. These factors are examined here with a macroscopic approach. An upper global limit of 1.3 x 1014 watts is arrived at with a sublimit of 2 x 1012 watts for the continental United States. Some general conclusions are also reached regarding the sites that would have to be utilized to achieve these levels. Even within these limits, wind energy is seen to offer a potential far larger than many other self-renewing energy sources.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Electricity Generation Choices for the Near Term.
D. Bodansky and D. Bodansky (1980)
Science 207, 721-728
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