Green power holds promise to replace fossil fuel as world's primary electricity source NOAA researchers say wind, solar have vast potential

Large-scale green energy systems can affordably replace fossil fuel as the world's primary source of electricity within 20 years, new research from the United States weather office suggests.

Large-scale green energy systems can affordably replace fossil fuel as the world's primary source of electricity within 20 years, new research from the United States weather office suggests.

Large-scale green energy systems can affordably replace fossil fuel as the world's primary source of electricity within 20 years, new research from the United States weather office suggests.

Critics in the U.S., notably those with links to electricity producers who rely on coaland natural gas-fired generation, argue that the uneven production of power from wind turbines yields only nominal reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.

Critics in the U.S., notably those with links to electricity producers who rely on coaland natural gas-fired generation, argue that the uneven production of power from wind turbines yields only nominal reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.

Critics in the U.S., notably those with links to electricity producers who rely on coaland natural gas-fired generation, argue that the uneven production of power from wind turbines yields only nominal reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.

Critics in the U.S., notably those with links to electricity producers who rely on coaland natural gas-fired generation, argue that the uneven production of power from wind turbines yields only nominal reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels.

The differences in emissions are too small to justify the higher costs associated with wind - and solar - production, the argument goes.

Sandy MacDonald, director of the earth system research lab at NOAA, presented the research at a symposium of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual convention, which is taking place in Canada for only the second time since the inception of the AAAS in 1848.

Sandy MacDonald, director of the earth system research lab at NOAA, presented the research at a symposium of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual convention, which is taking place in Canada for only the second time since the inception of the AAAS in 1848.

NOAA assumed an average price for natural gas-fired power of nine cents per kilowatt hour, which is slightly below the current range for wind power costs, and substantially below solar electricity costs at present - although the cost for both those sources continues to fall, the symposium was told.

NOAA embarked on the renewables project three years ago, collating 16 billion pieces of weather data derived from satellite observations and airplane observations and weather station reports.

NOAA embarked on the renewables project three years ago, collating 16 billion pieces of weather data derived from satellite observations and airplane observations and weather station reports.

NOAA embarked on the renewables project three years ago, collating 16 billion pieces of weather data derived from satellite observations and airplane observations and weather station reports.

Then it designed a program to filter the information to remove unlikely venues for wind or solar power arrays - such as national parks and urban areas - and came up with a map showing robust wind resources in the middle of the continent and decent ones in the northeast Atlantic states, as well as strong solar production areas in the desert southwest.

Then it designed a program to filter the information to remove unlikely venues for wind or solar power arrays - such as national parks and urban areas - and came up with a map showing robust wind resources in the middle of the continent and decent ones in the northeast Atlantic states, as well as strong solar production areas in the desert southwest.

Then it designed a program to filter the information to remove unlikely venues for wind or solar power arrays - such as national parks and urban areas - and came up with a map showing robust wind resources in the middle of the continent and decent ones in the northeast Atlantic states, as well as strong solar production areas in the desert southwest.

Then it designed a program to filter the information to remove unlikely venues for wind or solar power arrays - such as national parks and urban areas - and came up with a map showing robust wind resources in the middle of the continent and decent ones in the northeast Atlantic states, as well as strong solar production areas in the desert southwest.

Then it designed a program to filter the information to remove unlikely venues for wind or solar power arrays - such as national parks and urban areas - and came up with a map showing robust wind resources in the middle of the continent and decent ones in the northeast Atlantic states, as well as strong solar production areas in the desert southwest.

Those findings confirmed common-sense expectations about the location of optimal resources, MacDonald noted.

Similarly, about half of the mid-continent wind resource is at its peak at night when demand is at an ebb.

The bigger the grid, the more effective it can be at transitioning to green energy, MacDonald said.

The bigger the grid, the more effective it can be at transitioning to green energy, MacDonald said.

An optimal system would encompass coordinated energy generation and transmission over an area of five million square kilometres.

"But that isn't necessarily so, especially if you recognize that if we are going to optimize over larger areas, it matters what the load is over larger areas."