Reassessing thermodynamic and dynamic constraints on global wind power
Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics
2015-08-28 v2 Fluid Dynamics
Abstract
Starting from basic physical principles, we present a novel derivation linking the global wind power to measurable atmospheric parameters. The resulting expression distinguishes three components of the atmospheric power (the kinetic power associated with horizontal and vertical motion and the gravitational power of precipitation) and highlights problems with previous approaches. Focusing on Lalibert\'e et al. (2015), we show how inappropriate treatment of material derivatives in the presence of phase transitions leads to significant errors in wind power analyses. We discuss the physical constraints on global wind power and the opportunities provided by considering the dynamic effects of water vapor condensation.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1505.04543,
title = {Reassessing thermodynamic and dynamic constraints on global wind power},
author = {A. M. Makarieva and V. G. Gorshkov and A. V. Nefiodov and D. Sheil and A. D. Nobre and B. -L. Li},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1505.04543},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
10 pages