Wind turbines unlikely to affect peatlands carbon storage - study

While the action of wind turbines creates a measurable effect on the local climate, this is unlikely to affect carbon storage in peatlands, according to a research at a Scottish wind farm.

The study involved placing more than 100 temperature and humidity sensors around wind turbines at ScottishPower Renewables' Black Law wind farm in North Lanarkshire. It was carried out by researchers from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, the University of Glasgow, Lancaster University and the University of Leeds.

"In the UK, over half of all operational and planned wind farms are on peatlands which are important stores of soil carbon," Jeanette Whitaker of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said in an announcement on Monday. She added that the changes to the local climate caused by wind farms were small and unlikely to affect carbon storage in peatlands.

The scientists found that when the turbines were operational at night the temperature around them increased by almost 0.2 degrees C and absolute humidity increased marginally. The turbines also increased the variability in air, surface and soil temperature throughout each 24-hour cycle.

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