An analysis of wind turbine air flow conducted by researchers at MIT found a correlation between wind turbines and global warming. Wind farms were found to reduce the overall speed of wind currents, preventing warm air from reaching the upper atmosphere.
A recent analysis of wind turbines at John Hopkins University utilized a technique called Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), using powerful laser beams to track variances in wind flow.
Wind turbines perform at their maximum capacity when the flow of air is consistent. These steady air streams are called laminar winds. Turbines perform at their worst in the presence of turbulence and erratic wind speeds.
A recent analysis of wind turbines published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
suggests that, on a large scale, wind flow over turbines can cause temperatures to rise and fall all over the world.
A recent article on the Building Green website reports on a study conducted on several wind turbines in Massachusetts. The report found that due to irregular wind speeds, performance of the wind turbines was 60 percent less than previously predicted.