Environment Forum
Global environmental challenges
A green energy solution that’s out of this world
The quest for more renewable energy sources recently got a boost that’s out of this world.
NASA researchers this week said they are using global satellite data to create maps of ocean areas best suited for wind energy.
The maps will be useful in planning where to build offshore wind farms that can convert wind energy to electricity, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Islands of floating wind farms have the potential to generate 500 to 800 watts per square meter, according to research conducted by Tim Liu, a senior research scientist at the JPL.
“No group of people have measured the amount of wind power over the entire ocean. Now for the first time we have a map,” Liu said in an interview. “You can actually quantify how much power is in what place. The map gives you this tool for where to place these (wind) farms.”
