Amit Asaravala over at Wired News has an interesting article about the vast potential of wind for the generation of power. According to the article researchers have recently compiled a map which reveals the airstream potential of more than 8,000 sites across the planet.


Wind power could generate enough electricity to support the world’s energy needs several times over, according to a new map of global wind speeds that scientists say is the first of its kind.

The map, compiled by researchers at Stanford University, shows wind speeds at more than 8,000 sites around the world. The researchers found that at least 13 percent of those sites experience winds fast enough to power a modern wind turbine. If turbines were set up in all these regions, they would generate 72 terawatts of electricity, according to the researchers.

That’s more than five times the world’s energy needs, which was roughly 14 terawatts in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

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