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Science 3 June 2005:
Vol. 308. no. 5727, p. 1406
DOI: 10.1126/science.308.5727.1406d
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Random Samples

Figure 3 North American wind spots. Two Stanford University researchers have put together a global "wind map" that pinpoints areas around the globe that are well suited for wind power. After analyzing wind speed measurements in some 8000 locations, hydrologists Cristina Archer and Mark Jacobson conclude that wind could generate power equivalent to 35 times current global electricity use.

Good locations are far more common than previously thought, says Archer. "If you randomly pick 10 locations in the world, one or two of them will be suitable for wind power generation," she claims. Two such areas are the south and southeast coasts of the United States. Northern Europe also has a lot of prime wind spots. Unfortunately, the authors relate, the developing world has few such spots. Exceptions are some sites in Vietnam, the Caribbean islands, and the southern tips of Chile and South Africa.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)